Three Chinese astronauts are currently stranded in space after their spacecraft was used to return another group to Earth.

The three astronauts are currently taking part in a six-month mission called Shenzhou-21 on board China's Tiangong space station.

But their spacecraft was used on Friday to return the previous crew, taking part in the Shenzhou-20 mission, after their own capsule was damaged by suspected space debris , delaying their return by more than a week.

China's Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said that the Shenzhou-22 spacecraft, the crew's expected return option, "will be launched at an appropriate time in the future," without specifying an exact date, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Newsweek contacted the CMSA for comment by email.

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