Jiuquan, China — China launched its Shenzhou-21 spacecraft on Friday, carrying a three-member crew — including the country’s youngest astronaut ever — to the Tiangong space station, state media reported.
The spacecraft lifted off atop a Long March-2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China, marking the seventh mission to the permanently inhabited station since its completion in 2022.
The crew includes Zhang Hongzhang, 39, and Wu Fei, 32, who joined China’s astronaut corps in 2020. Wu’s participation makes him the youngest Chinese astronaut to enter orbit. The Shenzhou-21 team will replace the Shenzhou-20 crew, who have spent more than six months aboard Tiangong and are set to return to Earth in the coming days.
In a first for China’s space program, the astronauts are accompanied by four black mice, which will be used in reproductive biology experiments in microgravity.
China’s Shenzhou program now operates on a twice-yearly launch schedule and continues to push boundaries — from record-setting spacewalks to training its first foreign astronaut, a Pakistani national, for a 2026 mission.
The rapid progress has drawn concern in Washington, where U.S. officials see China’s expanding capabilities — and its rival lunar exploration partnership with Russia — as a direct challenge to the U.S.-led Artemis program.
