Indian-origin NASA astronaut Sunita Williams and her fellow crew member Butch Wilmore became the centre of sensational headlines in 2024 and earlier this year as they returned to Earth in March 2025 after staying in space for over nine months. A similar shocking fiasco appears to have reeled in trouble for three Chinese astronauts, who have now been forced to extend their space stay a bit longer following their April take-off from the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

Why are the Chinese astronauts stuck in space?

Originally set to return to Earth on Wednesday, Shenzhou-20 mission members Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie’s home-destined journey was postponed after their spacecraft was suspected to have been hit by debris, according to China’s Manned Space Agency (CMSA) on Wednesday.

Issuing a brief response to address the issue at hand, the space agency said, “The impact analysis and risk assessment are under way,” without actually specifying details. A new return date for the Chinese astronauts (aka taikonauts) now stuck in space has yet to be revealed. The CMSA hasn’t even determined how long it will take to complete the newly-launched assessment.

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According to Beijing-based space analyst Pang Zhihao’s insight into the matter, even millimeter-sized space debris can damage solar panels and spacecraft windows. He told People’s Daily that such an impact can severely affect transparency and power generation. On the other hand, he noted that centimeter-sized scrap can give way to explosions, leaks or navigation systems’ malfunctions due to punctured fuel tanks or other critical hits.

Yu Jun (aka Steed’s Scarf), a popular aerospace commentator, also noted that if the assessments find out that the spacecraft has been exposed to high risk, a “plan B” would have to set in motion.

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

About the China’s Shenzhou-20 crew

The three-member crew mission marked the sixth such space-scapade involving a trio (and overall ninth astronaut mission) headed to the Tiangong, aka China’s permanent space station. Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie took off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Inner Mongolia on April 25 for a six-month mission.

According to Space.com, the three-person mission arrive at the Chinese space station on April 24 at 11:49 am EDT. Having launched atop a Long March 2F rocket, the mission consists of commander Chen Dong, who set out for his third spaceflight, and rookies Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie. The returning commander already holds multiple Chinese records, including the longest cumulative time in space and most spacewalks by a Chinese astronaut.

Before heading the charge on Tiangong, they briefly met up with their preceding crew Shenzhou-19, which began its return journey on April 29, 2024.

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Since the trio was set to depart on Wednesday, they had already handed over the Tiangong baton to the next team–members of the Shenzhou-21 crew–last Friday. It brought the number of taikonauts aboard the Tiangong space station up to six. Much like the Shenzhou-20 crew, their successors, having launched on October 31, will remains on the space station for roughly six months.

Merely two days ago, the astronauts of the Shenzho 20 and Shenzhou 21 missions were snapped enjoying their “1st ever space BBQ” thanks to a new oven delivery to the outpost. Space.com reported on the video released by Astronaut Center of China (ACC), which captured scenes of taikonauts holding freshly cooked chicken wings aboard the space station.

When Sunita Williams was ‘stranded’ in space

Although the Chinese crew has only been stuck in space an additional day beyond their scheduled departure, the development instantly triggers not-so-old memories of Indian-origin Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore’s mission.

Having launched to the International Space Station in June on the first-crewed test flight of Boeing’s Starliner capsule, they became victims of technical malfunctions, including helium leaks and thruster failures. And so, an initial 8-day mission plan forced them to expand their space stay beyond expectation.

They ultimately remained stuck in space for 286 days. The NASA astronauts finally came back down in a SpaceX Dragon capsule on March 18, 2025, with their original Starliner spacecraft coming back to Earth unmanned months ahead of their journey home.