Shenzhou XX crew set to return after space debris delay

The Shenzhou XX mission crew, whose scheduled return flight to Earth was postponed due to safety concerns over space debris, are scheduled to fly back to Earth today, according to the China Manned Space Agency.

The three astronauts － mission commander Senior Colonel Chen Dong and crew members Colonel Chen Zhongrui and Colonel Wang Jie － will ride on the Shenzhou XXI spaceship to re-enter the atmosphere and land at the Dongfeng Landing Site in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, the agency said in a brief statement on Friday morning.

Chen Dong and his teammates "are in good condition" and ground personnel are completing the final preparations for their landing, it noted, adding that the Shenzhou XXII spaceship will be launched in due course to dock with the Tiangong space station, which is currently manned by the Shenzhou XXI flight crew.

The Shenzhou XX team was originally scheduled to return on Nov 5 after a six-month stay at the space station.

They represent China's 15th manned spaceflight and the ninth group of residents aboard the Tiangong space station.

Their return was deferred after indications emerged that the Shenzhou XX spaceship had possibly been hit by tiny fragments of space debris.