SPACE ALERT: Chinese astronauts stranded in orbit after damage to their return capsule

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From Fox News: A Chinese space crew is stranded at the country’s Tiangong space station after tiny pieces of space debris were believed to have struck their return capsule, China’s spaceflight agency said Wednesday.

The three-member Shenzhou-20 team had been scheduled to return to Earth on Wednesday, but their mission has been temporarily extended as engineers conduct impact analysis and risk assessments on the damaged spacecraft, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said in a statement.

Their return date has been postponed indefinitely, according to state broadcaster CCTV, which offered no further details.

The crew’s return capsule is believed to have been hit by tiny fragments of space junk – an increasing hazard in low Earth orbit. CMSA has not specified the extent of the damage or what repairs, if any, will be required. If the spacecraft cannot be repaired, protocol states the Shenzhou-20 crew will use the Shenzhou-21 team’s capsule to return to Earth.

The report explains that the now-stranded astronauts were nearing the end of their six-month mission when the issue occurred.

A second team of 3 astronauts arrived at the space station on Saturday to replace the first team, who was supposed to depart on Wednesday.

The Chinese Space Station announced Tuesday night, “🔔[Just In] The return of China’s Shenzhou XX crewed spaceship, originally scheduled for Wednesday, will be postponed due to a suspected impact from tiny space debris, the China Manned Space Agency announced. The impact analysis and risk assessment are under way. The decision to delay the return aims to ensure the astronauts’ safety and mission success.”

Many social media users are now asking if Elon Musk is going to go rescue them.

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