China to activate ‘Plan B’ for astronauts stranded on Tiangong space station

Three Chinese astronauts are stranded at China’s Tiangong space station after their return capsule was damaged by space debris.

Senior Colonel Chen Dong and crew members Colonel Chen Zhongrui and Colonel Wang Jie were part of Shenzhou-20 mission launched in April and the experts were set to return to the Earth on November 5.

A renowned aerospace expert, Yu Jun, has revealed that China has a plan B for the safe return of their astronauts if the authorities conclude that the damaged space vehicle is too risky to bring back.

The science blogger, known online as Steed’s Scarf, said a backup return vehicle could be launched from Earth, with Shenzhou-22 and the Long March 2F (launcher) already on standby.

Talking to his five million followers on Weibo, Yun Jun said, “This is our rolling back mechanism. In an emergency duty mode, a plan is already in place to bring the astronauts back home safely.”

China’s Tiangong space station is the only space station operated by one country only. 

It was launched after the United States (U.S.) passed a law barring the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) from bilateral cooperation with China.

Tiangong can host three astronauts at a time, however, there are now six as the replacement crew reached before the finding about the damaged return capsule.