China’s Shenzhou-21 spacecraft lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre on Friday, carrying the youngest member of its astronaut corps, Wu Fei, 32, along with commander Zhang Lu, 48, and fellow first-timer Zhang Hongzhang, 39.
The mission marks the seventh crewed trip to the Tiangong (“Heavenly Palace”) space station since its completion two years ago. The crew will relieve Shenzhou-20 astronauts after their six-month tenure and conduct scientific experiments, including studies on mammalian reproduction using four black mice — the first small mammals aboard the Chinese station.
The Shenzhou-21 mission underscores China’s accelerating progress in human spaceflight, with a new generation of astronauts born in the 1990s now leading missions. Beijing also plans to send Pakistan’s first astronaut to Tiangong next year as part of growing international collaboration efforts.
China’s rapid advancements have intensified its space rivalry with the United States, which aims to land astronauts on the Moon before China as both nations expand competing lunar programs — the U.S.-led Artemis Accords and the China-Russia International Lunar Research Station.
