China delays return of astronauts after debris may have hit space station

China has postponed a mission to return three astronauts from its space station after a suspected debris strike on the craft, the country's space authorities said Wednesday.

The China Manned Space Agency said in a statement that an analysis of the suspected strike and a risk assessment was underway, and that it had decided to delay the return mission for the health and safety of the astronauts.

The mission, known as Shenzhou-20, was launched April 24 from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northern China's Gobi Desert. It is the 35th flight of the country's manned space program, according to the government.


The astronauts -- mission commander Chen Dong, along with Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie -- had spent six months in orbit at the Tiangong space station. They were expected to return Thursday to the Dongfeng Landing Site in China's northern region of Inner Mongolia.

During their time in space, the crew made several spacewalks, handled cargo deliveries and conducted scientific experiments, among other tasks.

They were joined last week at the Tiangong station by a relief crew aboard another spacecraft known as the Shenzhou-21. Both spacecraft are now docked at the station.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.