China's Shenzhou-20 astronauts to return to Earth

China's Shenzhou-20 crew is scheduled to return to Earth on Friday aboard the Shenzhou-21 spacecraft, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced.

The spaceship will return to the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The astronauts -- Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie -- are in good shape, and the landing zone and all participating systems are making preparations for their touchdown.

The crew's return, originally scheduled for Nov. 5, was postponed due to a suspected impact from tiny space debris on the Shenzhou-20 spaceship.

The Shenzhou-22 spacecraft will be launched at an appropriate time in the future, according to the CMSA.