comments A global plea is growing for Elon Musk to rescue three Chinese astronauts stranded in space after their return capsule was struck by an 'unknown object'. Senior Colonel Chen Dong and crew members Colonel Chen Zhongrui and Colonel Wang Jie launched to China's Tiangong space station in April and were set to return home on November 5. But officials revealed this week that their spacecraft may have sustained damage while docked in orbit for the past six months. Chinese officials are unsure what struck the vessel, but the damage is believed to have been caused by space debris, which is basically junk floating around the Earth from older space missions and rocket launches. The Shenzhou-20 team's incident has reignited memories of NASA's two astronauts, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who were marooned aboard the International Space Station (ISS) last year after a capsule malfunction. Musk's SpaceX was credited with carrying out the rescue, and many online now believe the billionaire's rocket company may once again be humanity's best hope. 'Send Elon,' one user posted on X. Another wrote, 'When you're stuck in space, who you gonna call? Elon Musk and SpaceX.' A well-known aerospace expert and science blogger, Yu Jun, who goes by Steed's Scarf online, explained that if officials conclude the damaged spacecraft is too risky to bring back, they would likely move to a 'plan B,' which could involve launching a backup return vehicle from Earth. (L-R) Astronauts Wang Jie, Chen Dong and Chen Zhongrui have been stranded on the Chinese space station Tiangong until their return vehicle can be repaired The Shenzhou-20 team launched to China's Tiangong space station in April and were set to return home on November 5 'Shenzhou-22 and the Long March 2F [launcher] were already on standby. This is our rolling backup mechanism,' Jun told his more than five million followers on Weibo. 'They are in "emergency duty" mode and ready to bring our astronauts home safely if needed.'