A three-person crew stranded at China's space station after their spacecraft will return Friday using the craft that brought the replacement crew up, state media said

Wrapping up 204 days in orbit, three Chinese astronauts flew back to Earth aboard a Shenzhou spacecraft Friday, leaving three crewmates behind on the Tiangong space station with a busted lifeboat.

It’s somewhat ironic that China’s spacecraft took a hit from space junk. The country is responsible for creating the majority of space debris. In 2007, China blew up a defunct Fengyun-1c weather satellite to test an anti-satellite weapon. It generated the most space debris in history – over 3,000 pieces are still orbiting today.

Iran is preparing for a major step in its growing Iran space program, with several satellites expected to launch in the coming months. The Iran space program has become a vital part of the country’s technological development,