China to Launch Shenzhou-21 Crewed Mission Friday Night; Three-Astronaut Team to Conduct 27 Experiments Aboard Tiangong

The China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced on Thursday that the Shenzhou-21 crewed spacecraft will lift off at 11:44 p.m. (Beijing Time) on Friday from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwest China. The mission will mark the sixth crewed flight during the application and development phase of China’s space station, and the 37th overall flight under the country’s manned space program.

The three-member crew comprises Commander Zhang Lu, Flight Engineer Wu Fei, and Payload Specialist Zhang Hongzhang—representing three generations of Chinese astronauts born in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. Zhang Lu, returning to the Tiangong space station after more than two years, will lead the team, while Wu Fei and Zhang Hongzhang, from China’s third astronaut batch, will make their maiden spaceflights. Wu Fei will also become China’s youngest astronaut to travel to space.

During their six-month mission, the astronauts will perform extravehicular activities, manage cargo transfers, install debris protection systems, and conduct public outreach and science education from orbit. They are set to undertake 27 scientific and application projects, including research in space life science, biotechnology, and aerospace medicine.

For the first time, China will conduct an in-orbit rodent experiment—sending four mice to study how microgravity impacts behavior and physiology. Other experiments will explore the origins of genetic coding and molecular chirality, as well as in-situ electrochemical and optical studies of lithium-ion batteries for future space applications.

The Shenzhou-21 crew will complete an in-orbit rotation with the Shenzhou-20 astronauts, who have already spent 188 days in space, setting a new record for China’s longest space mission. Commander Chen Dong of Shenzhou-20 has now accumulated over 400 days in space and completed six spacewalks, the most by any Chinese astronaut to date.