China's Shenzhou-20 Returns After Emergency Repairs, Shenzhou-23 Arrives at Jiuquan Spaceport
China's Shenzhou-20 spacecraft safely returned to Earth on January 18 after on-orbit repairs due to a suspected debris impact. It landed at the Dongfeng landing zone near Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center at 8:24 p.m.
Eastern time. The return was delayed by two and a half months due to a triangular crack discovered in the viewport window during a pre-return check. This prompted an emergency response, including crew transfer to Shenzhou-21 for their return.
Shenzhou-20 spent 270 days in orbit, longer than the usual 180 days. The astronauts conducted a successful extravehicular activity to patch the window. Meanwhile, Shenzhou-23 has arrived at Jiuquan spaceport, two months ahead of schedule, to restore China's emergency launch capability, with plans for future missions including the Tianzhou-10 cargo spacecraft and international astronaut participation onboard Shenzhou-24.
