CHINA LAUNCHES SHENZHOU 21 WITH 3 TAIKONAUTS, 4 MICE TO ROTATE SPACE STATION CREW. (PHOTO).

China launches Shenzhou 21 with 3 taikonauts, 4 mice to rotate space station crew

JIUQUAN SATELLITE LAUNCH CENTER, CHINA - China successfully launched its Shenzhou-21 spacecraft on Friday, sending a new three-person crew to the Tiangong space station for a mission centered on scientific research. The mission includes China’s youngest-ever taikonaut and, for the first time in its space program, live mammals—four mice—to study the effects of microgravity on behavior.

The launch took place from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China aboard a Long March-2F rocket just before midnight local time. The crew—commander Zhang Lu, along with Wu Fei and Zhang Hongzhang—will rotate with the Shenzhou-20 crew, which has been aboard the station since April. The new team will carry out 27 research projects spanning space life sciences, biotechnology, space medicine, materials science, microgravity fluid physics, combustion, and advanced space technologies. Alongside them, the four mice—two males and two females—will help scientists examine behavioral changes under prolonged spaceflight conditions.

Commander Zhang Lu has previously flown on the Shenzhou-15 mission, while Wu Fei, born in 1993, becomes China’s youngest taikonaut, and Zhang Hongzhang makes his first spaceflight. The crew is expected to remain aboard the station for roughly six months. Public interest was high at the launch site, with families gathering to witness the lift-off.

China has accelerated its space program independently after being excluded from the International Space Station project. Tiangong has been continuously manned since 2021, and China plans to host its first non-Chinese crew member in the near future, with a Pakistani national expected to join for a short-term mission following bilateral agreements. Two Pakistani nationals will train alongside Chinese taikonauts for future participation.

The Shenzhou-21 mission complements China’s broader “space dream,” including ambitions to land astronauts on the moon by 2030 and establish a lunar base. China has already achieved several lunar milestones, such as the first probe to land and return samples from the moon’s far side. Officials say research and construction at Tiangong are proceeding smoothly as part of these long-term goals.