Are the Chinese Astronauts Stranded in Space a Hoax? Video on Reddit Shows Everything Might Be Staged

In the quiet expanse above Earth, three Chinese taikonauts face an unexpected extension to their mission aboard the Tiangong space station, stranded by a suspected space debris strike on their Shenzhou-20 return capsule. As conspiracy theories surge online, a viral Reddit video purporting to reveal staging glitches in Tiangong footage has ignited debates on whether China's space programme harbours illusions amid real orbital perils.

With global eyes on this fusion of innovation and incredulity, questions swirl: is the stranding a genuine crisis or a crafted hoax?

The Shenzhou-20 Mission and the Debris Dilemma

Launched on 1 April 2025, the Shenzhou-20 crew—Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie—embarked on a six-month stint conducting experiments and maintenance on Tiangong. Scheduled for touchdown on 5 November 2025 in Inner Mongolia, their return hit a snag when engineers detected potential damage from an unidentified object.

China's Manned Space Agency prioritised safety, extending the stay while Shenzhou-21 team, including youngest taikonaut Wu Fei, overlaps for handover. In a handover ceremony, Chen Dong said, 'We are about to return to Earth, and now I am handing over the hatch key that symbolizes the right to maintain operations on this Chinese space station to you.'

Reports from Live Science affirm the incident's legitimacy, underscoring threats from over 36,000 tracked debris pieces orbiting Earth. This delay highlights the precarious balance of human endeavour in space.

The Viral Reddit Clip: Technical Glitch or Fabrication?

Posted on 6 November 2025 in r/LOOK_CHINA, the video captures taikonauts exercising on Tiangong, but a figure fades out abruptly, sparking claims of poor CGI or AI synthesis.

Commenters like dietrich_sa noted '穿模了'—a glitch—while raxdoh attributed it to hasty video editing with fade transitions overlooked. 'Shouldn't be gradual transparency; it's basic clip error.' Past Tiangong clips faced similar scrutiny, like the June 2025 glass of water anomaly debunked as surface tension in microgravity.

Experts from Sky at Night Magazine dismiss fakery motives, citing international tracking of Tiangong's orbit. The clip likely reflects production oversights, not deception.

Why Hoax Claims Persist Amid Technological Strides

China's space strides, from Tiangong's 2021 debut to lunar sample returns, often invite hoax allegations amid geopolitical tensions. Verifiable telemetry and third-party observations, including from NASA, confirm operational reality. The current stranding echoes Boeing Starliner's 2024 thruster issues, proving debris risks transcend nations.

As taikonauts collaborate with Shenzhou-21 arrivals on repairs and research, this episode spotlights calls for global debris mitigation. Scepticism fuels discourse, but facts anchor the narrative: China's celestial pursuits are as tangible as the stars they chase, dispelling doubts from Reddit videos and fake footage claims.

While Reddit's glitchy glimpse stirs suspicion, the Shenzhou-20 crew continues vital scientific tasks, including biotechnology experiments scheduled through December 2025. International astronomers from the European Space Agency have corroborated Tiangong's position via radar data on 7 November 2025, further validating its presence.

A post from news outlet @the_hindu on X noted on 5 November 2025: 'Shenzhou-20 spacecraft hit by small debris, delaying return to Earth; first time Shenzhou mission has been delayed by space debris.'

Ultimately, this incident reinforces the need for unified international standards on space sustainability, paving the way for safer explorations beyond our planet.