The cause of the collision was a “tiny piece of space debris,” the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said in a statement<\/a> at the time.<\/p>\n Related: They’re Back! ‘Stranded’ Astronauts Make a Safe Return to Earth’s Surface<\/a><\/p>\n Officials at CMSA have said they are working to send up<\/a> a safe replacement craft, and while they have not confirmed a return date, according to aircraft reports<\/a>, a launch is scheduled on November 25.<\/p>\n Until then, the Shenzhou 21 mission, including Zhang Lu, Wu Fei, and Zhang Hongzhang, will be stuck.<\/p>\n Some experts are concerned<\/a> by what could go wrong in the meantime. CMSA hasn’t released many details, but it is known that three astronauts on the previous mission returned home<\/a> on the functioning spacecraft Lu, Fei, and Hongzhang arrived on.<\/p>\n It is unclear why all six astronauts were not kept on board the space station until a replacement craft could be provided, though supplies would have been dwindling<\/a> after the previous crew’s delayed departure.<\/p>\n The recent mishap marks the second time in the last two years that astronauts have been stranded in orbit. In March, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams arrived safely<\/a> back on Earth after an eight-day mission turned into a nine-month-long orbit due to technical issues with the return craft.<\/p>\n Jan Osburg, a senior engineer for the RAND Corporation’s engineering and applied sciences department, told<\/a> Space.com that these events are “a massive wake-up call.”<\/p>\n “It certainly is a bad situation,” she said<\/a>, in reference to the recent stranding. “Hopefully the astronauts can come safely back to Earth soon.”<\/p>\n As Earth’s orbit fills with more space debris, the risk of collisions<\/a> is increasingly becoming a problem.<\/p>\n In 2021, debris hit<\/a> the International Space Station (ISS) and damaged part of its robotic arm. Several times in recent years, the ISS has had to dodge<\/a> flying space junk.<\/p>\n![\"Chinese](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/r6QafBLxICN8Hgx4-642x428.jpg\")
Shenzhou-21 crew members Zhang Lu (C), Wu Fei (R), and Zhang Hongzhang. (Xinhua<\/a>)<\/p>\n
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