China's astronauts break space record, return safely after debris scare

Technology Nov 17, 2025

Three Chinese astronauts are back on Earth after spending a record 204 days in orbit—China's longest space mission yet.
Their Shenzhou 20 journey, which started in April, was supposed to last six months but got extended thanks to a close call with fast-moving space debris.

What they did up there (and what's next)

While in space, the crew ran some pretty cool experiments—think mouse reproduction studies and even cooking Chinese food in zero gravity.
Their return was delayed when debris hit their spacecraft's window, showing just how real the risks of crowded orbits are getting.
Still, the mission wrapped up safely with a landing in Inner Mongolia.
With this milestone behind them, China is now setting its sights on sending astronauts to the moon by 2030.