China’s Tiangong space station is now protected against space debris. The measure was adopted a month after debris hit the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft docked at the laboratory, causing a crack in the capsule window.
The damage forced astronauts Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie to spend a few extra days in space in November. They discovered the crack shortly before leaving Tiangong, forcing a postponement of their return to Earth, which is unprecedented in China’s space program.
The trio eventually returned to Earth on November 14, but in another capsule. As a result, the three astronauts remaining in the space laboratory — Zhang Hongzhang, Zhang Lu and Wu Fei — were unable to have a flightable vehicle for a few days, in case they had to return to Earth.
China then rushed to launch its first emergency launch mission. On November 25, the country implemented its plan by sending an empty spacecraft to the space laboratory.
This entire saga, unprecedented for the Chinese space program, has highlighted the risks posed by space debris. The disintegration of old and decommissioned satellites, the increase in the number of equipment in orbit, and the testing of anti-satellite weapons can create vast fields of space debris.
This Tuesday (9), two astronauts from the current Tiangong crew carried out a spacewalk to install protection against debris. They used a robotic arm, according to a statement from China’s Manned Space Engineering Office.
The two also inspected and photographed the damaged window of the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft, which is still docked at Tiangong. The window could be reinforced by the Shenzhou-21 crew during future spacewalks, according to CMSEO.
The Chinese intend to return the empty capsule to Earth. The preliminary assessment is that the debris causing the damage measured less than a millimeter and the crack formed was larger than a centimeter.
“We cannot examine the spacecraft directly in orbit, we will study it closely when Shenzhou-20 returns,” Jia Shijin, designer of the Shenzhou spacecraft, told state broadcaster CCTV.
He added that the decision to postpone Shenzhou-20’s return mission was based on the possibility that, in the worst case, the crack could propagate, leading to cabin depressurization. If this happened, it could overload life support systems and be fatal for astronauts.
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