STORY: Three Chinese astronauts returned to Earth on Friday (November 14), according to state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV), after a delayed descent caused by space debris striking their vessel last week.

The crew left Tiangong space station, travelling aboard the Shenzhou-21 spacecraft, and landed at 4:40 p.m. (0840 GMT) at the Dongfeng landing site in Inner Mongolia, said the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

In interviews with CCTV following the landing, Shenzhou-21 Commander Chen Dong described their six-month mission at the Tiangong space station as a success while acknowledging that space exploration is "fraught with difficulties and challenges.”

The debris incident and subsequent delay was an opportunity to learn more and a test of their capabilities, Chen said.

The astronauts were due to return to Earth nine days ago after completing a six-month mission on China's permanently inhabited Tiangong space station, a program known as Shenzhou, or "Divine Vessel," when the crack was discovered.

The mission began in April and went smoothly until the debris incident forced the Shenzhou-20's return, originally scheduled for November 5, to be postponed, CMSA said.

In the past year the Tiangong program reached new milestones including the deployment of younger astronauts born in the 1990s, a world-record spacewalk, and plans to host the first foreign astronaut from Pakistan.

According to China's safety protocols, when astronauts cannot be safely flown back to Earth due to a malfunction, an unmanned emergency rescue spacecraft will be launched from the ground to take the astronauts back to earth.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

Chinese astronauts return to Earth after vessel damaged by space debris

VIDEO SHOWS: CCTV FOOTAGE SHOWING THREE CHINESE ASTRONAUTS RETURNING TO EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE ON SHENZHOU-21 AND RETURNING TO LANDING SITE / DONGFENG LANDING SITE STAFF MEMBERS TENDING TO THREE ASTRONAUTS / SOUNDBITES FROM ASTRONAUTS

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

SHOWS: JIUQIAN CITY, INNER MONGOLIA, CHINA (NOVEMBER 14, 2025) (CCTV - No use China)

1. THREE CHINESE ASTRONAUTS WANG JIE, CAPTAIN CHEN DONG AND CHEN ZHONGRUI, ABOARD SHENZHOU-21 SPACECRAFT DURING MISSION TO RETURN TO EARTH

2. EXTERNAL CAMERA VIEW OF SHENZHOU-21 APPROACHING EARTH IN SPACE

3. SPLIT SCREEN SHOWING ASTRONAUTS AND EXTERNAL CAMERA VIEW

4. SATELLITE ANIMATION SHOWING SHENZHOU-21 SPACECRAFT

5. VARIOUS OF SATELLITE IMAGE SHOWING SHENZHOU-21 ENTERING EARTH’S ATMOSPHERE

6. VARIOUS OF DETACHED CAPSULE FROM SPACECRAFT CARRYING ASTRONAUTS DESCENDING TO GROUND

7. SPLIT SCREEN SHOWING DESCENT OF CAPSULE AND DECREASING HEIGHTS MEASUREMENTS IN METERS

8. CAPSULE TOUCHING DOWN

9. CAPSULE ON GROUND

10. CAPSULE STATIONARY ON GROUND FLANKED BY CHINESE NATIONAL FLAGS

11. AERIAL VIEW OF CAPSULE LANDING SPOT

12. DONGFENG LANDING SITE STAFF MEMBERS BRINGING OUT CAPTAIN CHEN DONG FROM CAPSULE

13. (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) SHENZHOU-21 SPACECRAFT ASTRONAUT AND CAPTAIN, CHEN DONG, SAYING:

"The journey back home aboard the Shenzhou-21 has been very reassuring. The path humans take in exploring space is not smooth, and is fraught with difficulties and challenges. And this is why we choose to follow this path. I believe this mission has been both an opportunity for us to grow and a test of our capabilities. It gives me great pride to say that we have successfully completed the task, demonstrating the resilience of China's space program and delivered an outstanding performance across the board."

14. CHEN DONG BEING TAKEN TO MEDICAL VEHICLE ON STRETCHER

15. CHEN ZHONGRUI HELPED OUT OF CAPSULE

16. (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) SHENZHOU-21 SPACECRAFT ASTRONAUT, CHEN ZHONGRUI, SAYING:

“I feel particularly happy and fulfilled. The vastness of the universe is made warm by the unwavering efforts of countless individuals. I give my gratitude to all the space exploration professionals who have worked diligently behind the scenes.”

17. CHEN ZHONGRUI ON STRETCHER, WAVING

18. CHEN ZHONGRUI BEING TAKEN TO MEDICAL VEHICLE

19. WANG JIE BEING HELPED OUT OF CAPSULE

20. (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) SHENZHOU-21 SPACECRAFT ASTRONAUT WANG JIE, SAYING:

“This achievement represents a significant advancement for our country in the field of space exploration, which is an endeavour that knows no bounds. In the future, I will continue to dedicate myself to this noble cause and contribute my efforts to space exploration. Thank you.”

21. WANG WAVING TO PEOPLE

22. WANG BEING CARRIED TO MEDICAL VEHICLE