- Space
Uncrewed Shenzhou 22 craft is carrying medical supplies and repair equipment
Anthony CuthbertsonTuesday 25 November 2025 10:58 GMTComments
open image in galleryThe Shenzhou-22 spaceship is launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan, northwestern China, Tuesday, 25 November, 2025 (Xinhua News Agency)
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China has launched an uncrewed spacecraft to its space station as part of the second stage of a rescue mission to return stranded astronauts.
A Long March 2F/G rocket lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China on Tuesday, carrying the Shenzhou 22 capsule to the Tiangong space station.
The craft will be used sometime in 2026 to return the three astronauts who arrived on 1 November using the Shenzhou 21 spacecraft, which has since returned to Earth carrying another group of Chinese astronauts from the Shenzhou 20 mission.
The Shenzhou 20 crew faced a nine-day delay in their return to Earth after their craft's window was damaged by a suspected space debris strike.
After the three-person crew landed safely on Earth earlier this month, three of their fellow astronauts on the replacement crew were temporarily left without a guaranteed way to return in case of an emergency.
open image in galleryA Long March 2F/G rocket carried the Shenzhou-22 spaceship on a rescue mission to China's Tiangong space station (Xinhua News Agency)The Shenzhou 20 spacecraft – the damaged one, which for now remains in space – will be brought down to Earth later and assessed, according to state broadcaster CCTV. The space program determined it didn't meet safety standards for transporting the astronauts.
Chinese astronauts have been carrying out missions to the Tiangong space station in recent years as part of Beijing's rapidly progressing space program, initially building out the station module-by-module.
China developed Tiangong after the country was excluded from the International Space Station over US national security concerns, since China's space program is controlled by its military.
Tiangong, which means “Heavenly Palace,” hosted its first crew in 2021. It is smaller than the International Space Station, which has been operating for 25 years.
The uncrewed Shenzhou 22 mission is China’s first emergency space launch, with China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) describing Tuesday’s launch as a “complete success”.
The capsule is carrying medical supplies, spare parts for the space station and a repair kit for the broken window on the Shenzhou 20 craft.
Additional reporting from agencies
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