China’s Shenzhou-20 spacecraft returns to Earth broken and unbroken

The Shenzhou-20 spacecraft returned to Earth with no astronauts inside – just metal, heat and a cracked window – touching down at the Dongfeng landing site in China’s northern Inner Mongolia autonomous region on Monday.The hull appeared to be darkened after enduring the intense heat and stress of re-entry, but on-site inspections revealed the uncrewed capsule’s exterior was generally intact and the returned items inside were in good condition, according to Chinese space authorities.In an interview with state broadcaster CCTV on Monday, Zheng Wei, deputy chief designer of the crewed spacecraft system at the China Academy of Space Technology, said history had been made.“The spacecraft’s return was delayed due to unforeseen circumstances, resulting in an actual in-orbit duration of nine months – a record for China’s crewed missions,” Zheng explained. “Consequently, the operational data accumulated during this extended period is exceptionally precious.”“Our priority is to conduct a comprehensive analysis of all the in-orbit flight data,” he added. “Following the landing of the return module, we will also perform a thorough status inspection. Through these direct examinations and data analysis, we aim to provide strong support for future design improvements.”Zheng said the emergency operation showed there was a need to better understand space debris threats, noting that even with low probability, the risk was serious and required better awareness, design and planning.