Uncrewed Shenzhou 22 Docks with Tiangong, Restoring Crew Lifeboat Capability

The uncrewed Shenzhou 22 spacecraft successfully docked with the Tiangong space station on Tuesday, November 25, 2025, resolving an immediate safety contingency for the three astronauts aboard. This maneuver provided a flight-ready return vehicle, mitigating the risk created when the previous crew's capsule was deemed unsafe for re-entry.

Launched atop a Long March 2F/G rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center the same day, Shenzhou 22 completed its autonomous docking procedures roughly three and a half hours after liftoff. This rapid deployment restored the essential safety measure for the crew on the station, which operates at an altitude of approximately 400 kilometers and represents the only space station currently operated independently by a single nation.

The initial safety issue arose after the Shenzhou 20 crew, who arrived on October 31, discovered minute cracks in a window of their return capsule. This damage, suspected to be the result of a high-velocity space debris impact, rendered the Shenzhou 20 vehicle unsuitable for the stresses of atmospheric re-entry. Consequently, the China Manned Space Agency utilized the Shenzhou 21 spacecraft to return the Shenzhou 20 crew on November 14, concluding their 204-day mission, a record duration for Chinese astronauts in orbit.

This necessary crew rotation left the Shenzhou 21 crew without their own dedicated, safe return vehicle for eleven days until the arrival of Shenzhou 22. The Shenzhou 22 mission, originally scheduled as a crewed flight for April 2026, was immediately repurposed to serve as an uncrewed rescue and resupply craft. In addition to its primary role as the new lifeboat, the spacecraft delivered fresh supplies and specialized equipment, including a repair kit for the compromised Shenzhou 20 capsule.

The China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) confirmed this as the first emergency-response flight mission in the nation's manned space program history, validating their "one-for-one, rolling backup" strategy. This contingency plan mandates keeping a spare carrier rocket and Shenzhou spacecraft on standby at Jiuquan, enabling an emergency launch within 16 days, significantly faster than the standard 45-day preparation timeline.

The incident has prompted wider discussion regarding orbital safety and the increasing threat of space debris. The compromised Shenzhou 20 capsule will remain attached to Tiangong for ongoing experiments but must be de-orbited before the arrival of the Shenzhou 23 crew, anticipated in April 2026, to free the critical docking port. This sequence of events highlights the complex logistical challenges inherent in maintaining a long-duration human presence in low Earth orbit.