Shenzhou-20 spacecraft with a cracked window is planned to be repaired in orbit for later uncrewed return with cargo, according to Zheng Wei from China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation:
>(Translated) “Repairing a piece of glass from outside the spacecraft is extremely difficult. We can’t remove the glass panel—doing so would introduce even greater risk. We can only reinforce it on the existing structure and then add further reinforcement from the inside.
>From a crewed-mission standpoint, we cannot guarantee 100% safety, so we will not use the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft for a crewed return. But for a cargo return, it can still be used. For this mission, we have also implemented additional reinforcement measures to further ensure safety.
>Our development team is confident that we can achieve a safe cargo return.”
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Official announcement by the China Manned Space Engineering Office (in Chinese): [https://www.cmse.gov.cn/xwzx/202511/t20251125_57148.html](https://www.cmse.gov.cn/xwzx/202511/t20251125_57148.html)
Shenzhou-20 spacecraft with a cracked window is planned to be repaired in orbit for later uncrewed return with cargo, according to Zheng Wei from China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation:
>(Translated) “Repairing a piece of glass from outside the spacecraft is extremely difficult. We can’t remove the glass panel—doing so would introduce even greater risk. We can only reinforce it on the existing structure and then add further reinforcement from the inside.
>From a crewed-mission standpoint, we cannot guarantee 100% safety, so we will not use the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft for a crewed return. But for a cargo return, it can still be used. For this mission, we have also implemented additional reinforcement measures to further ensure safety.
>Our development team is confident that we can achieve a safe cargo return.”
Source text (in Chinese): [https://www.163.com/dy/article/KF7F50800530JPVV.html](https://www.163.com/dy/article/KF7F50800530JPVV.html)
Source video of an interview with Zheng Wei (on Weibo in Chinese): [https://weibo.com/5616492130/QfsWNulh9](https://weibo.com/5616492130/QfsWNulh9)
Crazy how quickly they sent another one up there.
GG NASA. Looks like China will win the space race with trump gutting funding