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China’s Uncrewed Shenzhou-20 Return Capsule Lands Safely in Inner Mongolia

By The South Asia Times

BEIJING - The return capsule of China’s Shenzhou-20 spacecraft landed safely at the Dongfeng landing site in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Monday morning, completing its return mission without astronauts, state media reported.

According to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA), the capsule touched down at 9:34 a.m. Beijing time. Initial on-site inspections confirmed that the capsule’s exterior was largely intact and that all items inside were in good condition, marking the mission as a complete success, according to Xinhua News.

Shenzhou-20 was launched on April 24, 2025, carrying three astronauts to China’s orbiting space station for a planned six-month mission. However, the spacecraft was later deemed unsuitable for a crewed return after engineers detected tiny cracks on the capsule’s viewport window, believed to have been caused by impacts from space debris. As a result, the astronauts returned to Earth using an alternative spacecraft.

CMSA said the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft has since arrived at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, where it will assume the role of rolling backup for China’s manned spaceflight program.

The successful uncrewed landing underscores China’s emphasis on crew safety and technical reliability as it continues to advance its long-term space exploration ambitions.