JIUQUAN, CHINA – The China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) successfully launched the Shenzhou-21 crewed mission late on Friday, October 31, 2025, sending three astronauts toward the Tiangong space station for a six-month orbital rotation. The mission, carried aloft by a Long March-2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert, marks the latest routine crew change for China's fully operational orbiting outpost.
The Shenzhou-21 Crew: A Blend of Veterans and Rookies
The three-member crew, officially announced the day before the launch, represents the continuing evolution of China's astronaut corps (taikonauts) and the increasing focus on scientific specialization.
| Role | Taikonaut (Astronaut) | Previous Spaceflights | Noteworthy |
| Mission Commander (Space Pilot) | Senior Colonel Zhang Lu (49) | 1 (Shenzhou-15) | Returning to Tiangong after more than two years; veteran military pilot. |
| Flight Engineer | Major Wu Fei (32) | 0 (Maiden flight) | Becomes the youngest Chinese astronaut to fly in space, a member of China's third batch of taikonauts. |
| Payload Specialist | Zhang Hongzhang (39) | 0 (Maiden flight) | A civilian researcher and the second Chinese payload specialist to fly, focusing on innovative scientific experiments. |
The crew is composed of the three distinct types of taikonauts—pilot, flight engineer, and payload specialist—a structure adopted in recent missions to maximize mission specialization.
Mission Objectives and Scientific Milestones
The primary purpose of Shenzhou-21 is to replace the three Shenzhou-20 crew members, ensuring the continuous, long-term occupation of the Tiangong space station. The mission is scheduled to last approximately six months.
Key objectives for the new crew include:
Crew Rotation: Completing the handover with the Shenzhou-20 crew, who have been aboard since April and will return to Earth a few days after the new crew's arrival.
Station Operation and Maintenance: Continuing the upkeep, system checks, and management of the three-module space station.
Extravehicular Activities (EVAs): Performing spacewalks, which will include activities like installing space debris shield equipment and deploying/retrieving external payloads and instruments.
Expanded Scientific Research: The crew is set to initiate 27 new scientific and technological projects. These cover diverse fields such as space life sciences, space medicine, microgravity fluid physics, material science, and new spacecraft technologies.
China's First In-Orbit Animal Experiment
A significant element of the Shenzhou-21 mission is the inclusion of a biological experiment involving four mice (two male and two female). This marks China's first-ever in-orbit biological study on rodents. The crew will observe the impact of weightlessness and confinement on the animals' behavioral patterns, which is crucial research for future long-duration human space exploration. The mice are scheduled to return to Earth with the taikonauts for further physiological analysis.
Technical Achievements: Rapid Rendezvous
The Shenzhou-21 spacecraft utilizes an autonomous rapid rendezvous and docking mode. In a significant technical step-up from previous missions, the spacecraft is expected to dock with the forward port of the Tianhe core module in approximately 3.5 hours after launch.
This shortens the docking time considerably compared to the 6.5-hour plan used for all previous crewed Shenzhou missions (Shenzhou-12 through Shenzhou-20). This faster approach reduces the physical burden and psychological stress on the incoming crew and demonstrates the enhanced precision and reliability of China's navigation and docking technologies.
The Tiangong Space Station and Future Ambitions
The Tiangong ("Heavenly Palace") space station, completed in late 2022, consists of the Tianhe core module and the Wentian and Mengtian laboratory modules. It serves as China's independent orbiting laboratory, a platform for scientific research, and a cornerstone of the nation's ambitious space program.
The Shenzhou-21 mission launch came just after the CMSA reaffirmed its firm goal to land astronauts on the Moon by 2030. Progress is reportedly smooth on key lunar mission components, including the Long March-10 heavy-lift rocket and the 'Mengzhou' manned lunar spacecraft.
Furthermore, the CMSA confirmed plans to train and fly a Pakistani astronaut on a short-duration mission to the Tiangong space station in the near future, underscoring China's push for international cooperation and exchange in space.