By Matthew RobinsonShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberChina launched an emergency space mission on Tuesday to join astronauts stranded at the country's space station.
The unmanned Shenzhou-22 spacecraft was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at around 12.11 p.m. local time, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) and Reuters.
It later arrived without incident at the Tiangong space station just over three-and-a-half hours later, according to the Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.
It comes after three Chinese astronauts were left stranded at the space station earlier this month after their spacecraft was used to return another crew to Earth because their capsule had been damaged by suspected space debris.
Newsweek contacted the CMSA for comment by email outside of regular working hours.
...Why It Matters
The crew currently on board the space station had been left without a return spacecraft in case of emergency.
The swift deployment of the Shenzhou-22 underscores both the risks posed by orbital debris and the operational resilience of China's advancing space program.
In 2021, NASA astronauts were forced to delay a spacewalk due to a space debris alert for increased risk following a Russian anti-satellite test.
What To Know
Earlier this month, members of the Shenzhou-20 crew were scheduled to return to Earth after a six-month rotation, four days after a new crew had arrived at the Tiangong space station, according to The Associated Press. However, their return was delayed by nine days after a window in the Shenzhou-20 capsule suffered tiny cracks.
Rather than using the damaged Shenzhou-20 craft, the astronauts returned on board the Shenzhou-21 capsule, which had just brought their replacement crew. The change left the new crew without a dedicated return vehicle.
The Shenzhou-20 crew landed in a remote area of China's Gobi Desert. The astronauts remained in space for a total of 204 days, the longest-ever stay for astronauts at China's space station.
The CMSA later said that the Shenzhou-22 spacecraft would be "launched at an appropriate time in the future," but did not specify an exact date, according to the Xinhua News Agency.
The Shenzhou-22 spacecraft brought additional food, spare parts, medical supplies, and equipment to repair the cracked Shenzhou-20 spacecraft windows, according to the Chinese state broadcaster CGTN.
What People Are Saying
The CMSA said on Tuesday on its WeChat account, according to Reuters: "The spacecraft successfully separated from the rocket and entered its planned orbit. The launch mission was a complete success."
CMSA official He Yuanjun told CCTV, according to Reuters: "This emergency launch is a first for China, but I hope it will be the last in humanity's journey through space."
What Happens Next
The damaged Shenzhou-20 spacecraft currently remains in space and will be brought down to Earth at a later date, CCTV said.
The current astronauts taking part in Shenzhou-21 mission will be brought down to Earth in April 2026 at the end of their mission on the Shenzhou-22 spacecraft, according to CMSA and Reuters.
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