China has sent a new three-member crew to the Tiangong space station, including the youngest astronaut in the nation’s history, along with four laboratory mice for scientific research.
According to Xinhua News Agency, the Shenzhou-21 spacecraft docked with Tiangong at 3:35 a.m. on Saturday, November 1 (1935 GMT Friday, October 31), roughly four hours after lifting off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China aboard a Long March-2F rocket.
Tiangong, which rotates three-person crews every six months, is the centerpiece of China’s fast-growing space program — a multibillion-dollar effort aimed at competing with the United States and Russia in space exploration.
Beijing plans to land astronauts on the Moon before 2030 and eventually establish a lunar base, a key part of President Xi Jinping’s vision for China’s “space dream.”
The Shenzhou-21 crew includes mission commander Zhang Lu, veteran pilot; flight engineer Wu Fei, 32, now China’s youngest astronaut to fly in space; and payload specialist Zhang Hongzhang, 39.
Before launch, the trio waved goodbye to colleagues at the Gobi Desert base as a military band played. “We will return to our motherland with complete success,” Commander Zhang vowed. First-time astronaut Wu Fei said he felt “incomparably lucky” to join the mission.
Accompanying the astronauts are four mice — two male and two female — part of China’s first in-orbit biological experiments involving rodents. Scientists expect the research to provide new insights into how long-term space conditions affect mammals.
China’s space program, the third in history to send humans into orbit, has accelerated in recent years. Major achievements include the 2019 Chang’e-4 landing on the far side of the Moon and the deployment of a Mars rover in 2021.
The China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said Thursday that “critical upcoming tests” are underway ahead of the planned 2030 lunar landing mission.
During their stay, the Shenzhou-21 crew will conduct scientific experiments, perform spacewalks, and install debris-protection shields on Tiangong’s exterior.
The mission also features a science-education component aimed at inspiring young people and expanding global partnerships.
China has been excluded from the International Space Station since 2011, after the U.S. barred NASA from cooperating with Beijing over security concerns. In response, China has pursued new alliances — including a February 2025 agreement with Pakistan to recruit the first foreign “taikonauts” — signalling its broader ambition to shape the future of international space cooperation.
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