China has launched the Shenzhou 22 spacecraft on an emergency mission to restore a safe return option for astronauts aboard the Tiangong space station after a damaged vessel temporarily left them without a way home.
China has launched the Shenzhou 22 spacecraft in an emergency mission to restore a safe return option for astronauts who were left temporarily stranded on the Tiangong space station after a damaged vessel disrupted their way back to Earth.
The unmanned craft lifted off on Tuesday atop a Long March 2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre at 12:11 p.m., with the China Manned Space Agency confirming it successfully entered its planned orbit. It will be used in 2026 by the three astronauts who arrived at Tiangong on November 1.
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This launch follows an incident earlier in the month when astronauts from the Shenzhou 20 mission faced a nine day delay returning to Earth after their capsule window was cracked, with impact from space debris suspected. They were eventually brought back using the Shenzhou 21 spacecraft, which had just delivered the replacement crew. While the trio landed safely, their successors were temporarily left without an emergency return vehicle. The damaged Shenzhou 20 craft remains in orbit and will later be brought down for assessment.
Emergency deployment restores safety at Tiangong
With Shenzhou 21 departing six months ahe