The three astronauts Chen Dong (center), Chen Zhongrui (right) and Wang Jie of China’s Shenzhou-20 mission during a press conference in Beijing, capital of China, January 16, 2026. (Photo: Li Minggang)
The three astronauts of China’s Shenzhou-20 mission met the press on Friday in Beijing, in their first public appearance after returning to Earth last November.
Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie recounted how they discovered the cracks in the porthole of their initial return craft, the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft, and shared their thoughts from their extended stay in space.
The crew of Shenzhou-20, launched in April 2025, was originally scheduled to return on November 5, 2025. During pre-return checks, the crew noticed triangular-shaped cracks on the outer layer of the porthole. He immediately documented them using photos and transmitted the data to teams on Earth.
Along with the Shenzhou-21 crew, who were also on board the space station, they conducted detailed observations and discussions to help ground teams assess the situation.
“I initially judged that the cracks were on the outermost layer of the glass and had penetrated it, but that they would not affect the safety of our stay in orbit,” Chen Dong said, assuring that the crew had confidence in the ground team and themselves to handle any unforeseen malfunctions.
Chen Zhongrui stressed that the crew’s extensive emergency training, combined with the nation’s strong support and dedicated aerospace team, gave them full confidence in their preparedness.
Indeed, from the identification of the problem to the safe return of the crew and then the successful launch of the Shenzhou-22 spacecraft, the entire process took just over 20 days, demonstrating the safety and effectiveness of China’s space efforts.
“The unexpected cracks in this porthole ultimately became a valuable testimony to the concerted efforts and shared commitment to safety between our two crews and all space personnel on the ground,” Wang Jie said.
The Shenzhou-20 crew then returned to Earth on November 14, 2025, aboard the Shenzhou-21 spacecraft.
Asked about the highlights of their more than six-month stay in orbit, the three astronauts shared memorable experiences from their mission.
Veteran astronaut Chen Dong has participated in three space missions, during which he performed seven extravehicular activities (EVA). Three of these spacewalks during the space station’s operational phase involved installing space debris protection panels, a critical task to ensure the station’s long-term security.
He highlighted the growing threat posed by space debris and called for continued efforts to fully equip the space station with protective devices.
Chen Dong is also the first Chinese astronaut to have accumulated a total of more than 400 days in orbit. But he believes that with the regular operation of the space station, other people will set new records in space.
He admitted that the main challenge of his three missions was keeping pace with the space station’s rapid evolution and precisely aligning its capabilities with mission requirements.
For rookie astronaut Chen Zhongrui, his first spacewalk left a deep impression.
“These were the first extravehicular activities carried out from the nodal cabin after the construction of the space station was completed, which represented a new experience for both the ground team and our crew,” he said.
For the future of space exploration, Wang Jie, who rose from a space technology engineer on the ground to a flight engineer in orbit, encouraged young people to join the ranks of space explorers, to work together to enable China to continue its exploration of the cosmos.
