China began preparing to send its Shenzhou spacecraft ahead of schedule to the permanently inhabited station, reported CCTV on Saturday.

Shenzhou-22 will be sent to Tiangong Space Station without any astronauts six months before its scheduled launch to bring China's manned-space programme back on track.

Shenzhou missions were running smoothly since 2021, until Shenzhou-20 suffered damage while docked in Tiangong. The three-person crew was forced to stay nine extra days with another trio of space astronauts.

The Shenzhou-20 astronauts successfully returned to Earth on Friday after boarding the Shenzhou-21. This left the newly-arrived trio of astronauts, who arrived two weeks earlier, without a vessel which could transport them home in an emergency.

Shenzhou-22 will be sent out ahead of schedule in order to eliminate this security threat and to allow Shenzhou-21 to return to Earth by April 2026 after completing their half-year rotation.

"Preparations have begun for the Shenzhou-22 Mission." CCTV reported that the spacecraft would carry a full cargo, including astronaut supplies and equipment for space station.

Tiangong can accommodate six astronauts, but only temporarily. The facility was designed to house three astronauts over a period of six months.

China has yet to announce what will become of damaged Shenzhou-20. It is believed that space debris may have caused a slight crack in the window on its return capsule.

Experts suggest that the vessel may be deorbited and undocked from Tiangong. (Reporting and editing by Alexander Smith; Eduardo Baptista)

(source: Reuters)