China's latest crewed mission, Shenzhou-21, successfully reached the Tiangong space station on Friday, just three and a half hours after its launch from the Jiuquan spaceport in the Gobi Desert. According to the China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO), the spacecraft, carrying commander Zhang Lu and crewmates Zhang Hongzhang and Wu Fei, docked at the forward port of the Tiangong's Tianhe core module at 3:22 p.m. Eastern (1922 UTC) on October 31.
Zhang, a veteran of the 2022 Shenzhou-15 mission, and his team will join the Shenzhou-20 astronauts already aboard Tiangong, embarking on their approximately six-month stay. Shenzhou-20 commander Chen Dong, along with Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie, have been on board since April 24. They are scheduled to hand over control of the space station to the incoming crew before returning to Earth on November 3.
The Shenzhou-21 mission will encompass a variety of scientific experiments, including investigations into space life sciences, biotechnology, technology testing, fluid physics in microgravity, space medicine, material science, and combustion. "It will also include reproduction-related experiments with four black mice which also flew to Tiangong aboard the Shenzhou-21 spacecraft," according to reports. Furthermore, extravehicular activities, educational initiatives, and public outreach events are planned for the crew's time in orbit.
The Long March 2F rocket, which launched Shenzhou-21, lifted off at 11:44 a.m. Eastern (1544 UTC) from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. This marks the seventh three-person mission to arrive at Tiangong since the completion of the three-module outpost in late 2022. Currently, there are two Shenzhou spacecraft and one Tianzhou cargo spacecraft docked with Tiangong.
Pilot Zhang Lu, who was previously a crewmember on Shenzhou-15, is joined by Wu Fei, a 32-year-old flight engineer and the youngest member of China’s astronaut corps, who formerly worked at the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST). Zhang Hongzhang is a payload specialist from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).
The Tiangong space station represents the culmination of a program initiated in 1992. This program focused on developing human spaceflight capabilities, launching smaller testbed modules, and constructing the space station using three Long March 5B launches between 2021 and 2022.
China intends to maintain continuous occupancy of Tiangong for at least a decade. CMSEO has also suggested future expansion plans involving additional modules, starting with a multi-functional expansion module with six docking ports.
While Tiangong solidifies China's presence in low Earth orbit, the nation is also actively pursuing a crewed lunar landing before 2030. CMSEO provided updates on this program, stating that "the main work of the prototype stage has been completed for key hardware for the mission, including the Long March 10 rocket, the Mengzhou crew spacecraft, Lanyue lunar lander, Wangyu lunar suit, and a crew lunar rover." The maiden flight of the Mengzhou spacecraft and Long March 10 rocket, potentially to low Earth orbit, is anticipated in 2026.