Work on the return mission of China’s Shenzhou-20 astronaut crew is proceeding in an orderly manner as planned.
China is making steady progress on the return mission for its Shenzhou-20 crew, said the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) on November 10th.
Following the postponement of the crew’s return, emergency response plans and measures were immediately activated. Comprehensive simulation analysis, testing and safety assessments of the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft were organized, and a return plan studied, the CMSA reported.
All systems have conducted a series of tests, while key products underwent status verification and quality confirmation. At the same time, the landing site has been conducting comprehensive drills in preparation for the crew’s return.
All tasks are progressing in an orderly and steady manner as planned, the CMSA stated.
Now the space station combination is operating normally. And it has the capacity to support two crews’ stay in orbit. The Shenzhou-20 crew is jointly conducting in-orbit scientific experiments with the Shenzhou-21 crew, the agency said.
The return of Shenzhou-20 crew, originally scheduled for November 5th, has been deferred due to space debris. Their successors — three astronauts of the Shenzhou-21 mission — arrived at the colossal orbital outpost on November 1st, and have already taken charge of the space station.
Space debris consists of nonfunctional, human-made objects remaining in Earth’s orbit, and these objects create significant challenges for space operations.
Written by Sha Liu, additional reporting by Xinhua and China Daily.
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