China's First-Ever Emergency Space Rescue Mission
In an unprecedented space operation, China has launched an emergency rescue mission to save three astronauts stranded aboard the Tiangong space station. The dramatic development comes just months after NASA's Starliner incident involving astronaut Sunita Williams captured global attention.
The China Manned Space Agency confirmed the launch of Shenzhou-22 on Tuesday, November 25, from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre. The uncrewed spacecraft lifted off at 12:11 Beijing Time aboard a Long March-2F rocket, carrying a full cargo load to assist the stranded crew.
What Caused the Stranding Incident?
Three Chinese astronauts - Zhang Lu, Zhang Hongzhang and Wu Fei - currently have no means of departing the Tiangong space station, either during emergencies or at the end of their scheduled mission. This critical situation arose because their original spacecraft, Shenzhou-21, was repurposed to return the previous Shenzhou-20 crew to Earth.
The chain of events began when the Shenzhou-20 return vehicle suffered damage from space debris collision. Yang Yuguang, Chair of the Space Transportation Committee at the International Astronautical Federation, confirmed this space debris impact during a Tuesday announcement.
"It was unexpected," Yang stated, revealing that authorities discovered cracks on the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft just 20 days before making the decision to launch the rescue mission.
Swift Response Compared to International Incidents
Chinese space officials highlighted the speed of their response compared to similar international space emergencies. Yang Yuguang recalled two recent incidents: Russia's Soyuz-MS22 spacecraft coolant leak in September 2022, which delayed crew return by almost half a year, and Boeing's Starliner saga with NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore, which experienced nine months of delays due to propulsion system malfunctions.
"This time, we, China, only delayed for nine days for the Shenzhou-20 crew for their return," Yang emphasized, praising the swift Chinese response.
The Shenzhou-20 crew had already completed more than 200 days in space when they returned using the Shenzhou-21 spacecraft. Now the same rescue pattern will repeat, with the Shenzhou-21 crew scheduled to return aboard the newly launched Shenzhou-22 spacecraft.
Originally, Shenzhou-22 was planned for a manned mission in April 2026, but has been reassigned as an emergency replacement crew ship. The China Manned Space Agency maintains that the stranded Shenzhou-21 astronaut crew is working normally and in good condition despite the unexpected extension of their space mission.
