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On November 14, 2025, Chinese astronauts Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie safely returned to Earth after a nine-day delay caused by space debris damage to their original Shenzhou-20 return capsule. They landed in the Gobi Desert aboard the newer Shenzhou-21 spacecraft. The incident highlights growing risks from orbital debris amid China's expanding space ambitions.
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China launched the Shenzhou-22 spacecraft to the Tiangong space station after the previous vessel was damaged by space debris. The crewed station now has a backup vessel for emergency return, highlighting China's rapid response to space safety issues amid international competition.
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In late November 2025, a Soyuz rocket launch from Baikonur Cosmodrome successfully delivered three astronauts to the ISS but caused significant damage to the launchpad's service cabin. Roscosmos has begun repairs, aiming to restore the pad by February 2026. The incident has prompted NASA to advance Dragon supply missions to mitigate potential supply gaps. Meanwhile, SpaceX's Starship V3 booster suffered a critical failure during ground testing, delaying its development.