China Launches Emergency Mission to Repair Damaged Spacecraft in Orbit
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China successfully launched the unmanned Shenzhou-22 spacecraft Tuesday, marking the country’s first emergency space mission as it rushed repair equipment to its orbiting space station to fix a damaged window on a docked vessel.
The Long March-2F Y22 carrier rocket blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center at 12:11 p.m. About 10 minutes later, the spacecraft separated from the rocket and entered its designated orbit. The detailed mission plan calls for the spacecraft to execute an autonomous fast-rendezvous and docking with the space station combination.
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- China launched the unmanned Shenzhou-22 spacecraft on an emergency mission to deliver repair equipment to its space station after a micro-crack was detected in Shenzhou-20's window.
- The three-member crew safely returned to Earth using the already docked Shenzhou-21, following safety concerns about Shenzhou-20.
- Shenzhou-22 carried necessary supplies and a specialized device to patch the damaged porthole, enabling repair experiments for potential cargo return.
- China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp.
- The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. (CASC) provided information to state broadcaster CCTV. CASC staff explained that the window of the damaged Shenzhou-20 spacecraft will be patched using newly delivered equipment. This repair aims to allow the vessel to return cargo to Earth, even though it won't be safe for human transport.
- November 14, 2025, 4:42 p.m.：
- The three-member crew from the Shenzhou-20 mission—Commander Chen Dong and astronauts Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie—landed safely at the Dongfeng landing site in Inner Mongolia, exiting the Shenzhou-21 capsule in good health.
- By November 25, 2025：
- A micro-crack was detected in the window of the Shenzhou-20 return capsule while it was docked at China's space station.
- November 25, 2025, 12:11 p.m.：
- The Long March-2F Y22 rocket carrying the unmanned Shenzhou-22 spacecraft launched from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.
- About 10 minutes after November 25, 2025, 12:11 p.m.：
- The Shenzhou-22 spacecraft separated from its carrier rocket and entered its designated orbit.
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