Beijing: China has postponed the return of its Shenzhou 20 astronauts after a suspected collision with space debris forced mission controllers to carry out a detailed safety check. The three-member crew, who were scheduled to land on Wednesday at the Dongfeng landing site in Inner Mongolia, will now remain in orbit until engineers complete a risk assessment.

According to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA), the delay was ordered after signs of a small impact were detected on the space station module. Although no crew members were harmed and all systems remain stable, officials said that further analysis was needed before giving clearance for re-entry.

This marks the first time a Chinese manned mission has been delayed due to space debris rather than weather or technical issues. The ag

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