‘Please help’: Calls for Musk to rescue stranded Chinese astronauts
Calls are growing for the billionaire to rescue three stranded Chinese astronauts after SpaceX’s successful high-profile rescue mission earlier this year.
Calls are growing for billionaire Elon Musk to come to the rescue of three stranded Chinese astronauts after their return capsule was struck by space debris.
Chinese astronauts Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie were set to return to Earth on Wednesday after spending six months on China’s Tiangong space station. But hours before their Shenzhou-20 return capsule was due to depart, it was hit by “tiny space debris”, leaving them stuck on the space station.
“The Shenzhou-20 manned spacecraft is suspected of being hit by a tiny piece of space debris, and an impact analysis and risk assessment are under way,” the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said in a statement this week.
“To ensure the health and safety of the astronauts and the successful completion of the mission, it has been decided that the originally planned return of Shenzhou-20 on November 5 will be postponed,” it added.
The trio, who blasted off to space on April 24, were expected to touch down at the Dongfeng landing site in northern Inner Mongolia on November 5 after a relief crew arrived on Tiangong space station last week.
The agency has not provided a new date for their return.
Many online have been calling on Space X CEO Elon Musk for help after his company earlier this year came to rescue of NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who were stuck on the International Space Station for nine months.
“Elon Musk! Would you be able to save these Chinese astronauts?” one person wrote on X,
“@elonmusk Any plans or request from China to rescue their stranded astronauts?” another asked, tagging the billionaire.
“Elon Musk and SpaceX to the rescue??” another questioned.
“Mr. Musk needs to please help the three Chinese Astronauts stranded in space,” pleaded another.
Mr Musk is yet to publicly respond to the requests for help.
Chinese science communicator Yu Jun, who goes by Steed’s Scarf online, wrote on social media that authorities would have a “plan B”, with a back-up launcher read on stand by if it was deemed too risky for the spacecraft to return.
“Shenzhou-22 and the Long March 2F (launcher) were already on standby. This is our rolling backup mechanism,” he wrote on Weibo.
“They are in ‘emergency duty’ mode and ready to bring our astronauts home safely if needed.”
China’s Tiangong space station is crewed by teams of three astronauts who are exchanged every six months.
It is the crown jewel of China’s space program, into which billions of dollars have been poured in a bid to catch up with the United States and Russia.
China has bold plans to send a crewed mission to the Moon by the end of the decade and eventually to build a base on the lunar surface.
The incident comes over six months after veteran US astronauts, Williams and Wilmore were successfully transported back to Earth on the Space X Crew Dragon capsule in a high-profile rescue mission.
The pair left Earth in June 2024 for what was supposed to be an eight-day space stay, but engineers noted a helium leak and issues with the thrusters on the Boeing Starliner they were travelling on, leaving them stuck on the International Space Station.
After 286-days in space, they safely returned home on March 19 with fellow NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, splashing down off the coast of Florida.
– With AFP
Originally published as ‘Please help’: Calls for Musk to rescue stranded Chinese astronauts
