Three Chinese astronauts (taikonauts) were stranded in space after their home-bound journey from the Tiangon space station was held off on Wednesday. Commander Chen Dong and rookie crew members Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie of the Shenzou-20 team were all set for their comeback on November 5, when officials changed course after their spacecraft was suspected to have been hit by space debris.

The taikonauts’ April 24 launch atop a Long March 2F rocket came a little under a month after NASA astronauts Indian-origin Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore came down to Earth in a SpaceX Dragon capsule on March 18, 2025.

“The impact analysis and risk assessment are under way,” China’s Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said on Wednesday, without diving into much detail.

The Chinese astronauts’ “stuck in space” saga is still just days-old, especially since their 6-month expedition was supposed to conclude on November 5. However, netizens are already drawing parallels between their interstellar struggle and Sunita Williams’ longer-than-expected and nearly 9-month-long space stay that ended with Elon Musk’s SpaceX joining forces with NASA to ensure the American astronauts’ safe Earth return.

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When Elon Musk came to NASA astronauts’ ‘rescue’

The American duo was left with no choice but to stick to their posts on board the International Space Station (ISS) for 286 days after their original Starliner spacecraft suffered malfunctions, including helium leaks and thruster failures.

Despite embarking on their space-bound expedition on a Boeing spacecraft, the pair had to return in a SpaceX alternative due to safety concerns. As was foreseen, the so-called space-escape mission thrust the aerospace company’s CEO and billionaire tech titan Elon Musk into the limelight.

Countless headlines crowned him responsible for the successful “rescue” mission after US President Donald Trump tasked him with the job.

Netizens call on Elon Musk and SpaceX to help the Chinese astronauts stuck in space

In a predictable development, internet users are again calling on Elon Musk and SpaceX to play saviours. In light of popular aerospace commentator Yu Jun (aka Steed’s Scarf) suggesting that Chinese authorities may have to rely on a “plan B” to bring the taikonauts back to Earth, netizens have jumped on the bandwagon and presented their “Elon Musk solution” in case a “backup” vehicle was needed.

“Shenzhou-22 and the Long March 2F [launcher] were already on standby. This is our rolling backup mechanism,” Jun told his followers on Weibo. “They are in ’emergency duty’ mode and ready to bring our astronauts home safely if needed.”

Considering Musk has already holds a glorious successful rate in the arena, thanks to the Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore case, social media users are already counting on him to repeat history.

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And so, SNS platforms are already collecting suitable responses to solve the ordeal. “Send Elon,” a user wrote on X, according to the Daily Mail. A second person chimed in, “When you’re stuck in space, who you gonna call? Elon Musk and SpaceX.”

Yet another added, “Here we go again. Is Elon Musk going to rescue Chinese astronauts too??”

“Elon has an opportunity to do the funniest thing right now. I can only imagine the seething and malding that would occur if he rescued them,” someone wrote on Reddit. A second user on the platform commented, “Time for the cave rescue sub to make a comback…in space!”