BEIJING (Reuters) -Three Chinese astronauts whose return to Earth was delayed by space debris hitting their vessel last week will return to their landing site on Friday, the China Manned Space Agency said in a statement.

The crew of the Shenzhou-20 will return to Earth aboard the Shenzhou-21 vessel, the statement said.

The Shenzhou-22 spacecraft will be launched at an appropriate time in the future, the readout added.

(Reporting by Joe Cash; Editing by Christopher Cushing)

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