Shenzhou-22 had originally been scheduled as a crewed mission for 2026, but authorities expedited and repurposed the launch after space debris struck Shenzhou-20 — the return craft docked at Tiangong — rendering it unsafe for human transport.
Beijing (China), November 25, 2025-BNN Web Staff: China has launched an urgent uncrewed mission to provide a safe return option for three astronauts currently aboard the Tiangong space station, who were left without a viable spacecraft to bring them back to Earth.
State broadcaster CCTV aired footage of a Long March-2F rocket carrying the Shenzhou-22 spacecraft lifting off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre just after midday local time (04:00 GMT) on Tuesday.
Shenzhou-22 had originally been scheduled as a crewed mission for 2026, but authorities expedited and repurposed the launch after space debris struck Shenzhou-20 — the return craft docked at Tiangong — rendering it unsafe for human transport.
The damage disrupted November’s planned crew rotation. The previous team of three taikonauts, who arrived in April for a six-month mission, had to use Shenzhou-21 to return to Earth when Shenzhou-20 was declared unfit.
As a result, the current Tiangong crew has been left without an operational return vehicle, prompting the emergency deployment of Shenzhou-22 to ensure their safety in case of an unexpected situation onboard.
