Chinese astronauts have described what happened when they were nearly stranded in space last year after a suspected piece of space junk struck their return capsule.

Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie, the crew of the ill-fated Shenzhou-20 mission, were preparing to leave China's Tiangong space station and return to Earth on Nov. 5, 2025. During a routine check, the astronauts spotted something unusual, beginning what has since been described as China's first spaceflight emergency.