China announced that the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft, which was damaged by space debris while docked at the Tiangong Space Station, will return to Earth without a crew.
In a statement, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) confirmed the return mission will be conducted unmanned. A small crack had earlier been detected on the craft's window, believed to have been caused by debris impact.
The planned 5 November return of the taikonauts who arrived on Shenzhou-20 was postponed due to safety concerns, and the crew later returned aboard the Shenzhou-21 spacecraft on 14 November after handing over duties to the incoming team.
The Shenzhou-22 craft was subsequently launched to retrieve the new Shenzhou-21 crew. A three-member taikonaut team operates on the Tiangong station in rotating six-month missions.
