China launches Shenzhou 21 to Tiangong station for six-month mission

China launched its Shenzhou 21 crewed spacecraft on Friday, Oct. 31, from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, sending three astronauts to the Tiangong space station for a roughly six month rotation. The Long March 2F rocket lifted off at 11:44 a.m. Eastern, or 11:44 p.m. Beijing time, and the spacecraft was expected to dock with the Tianhe core module about 3.5 hours later using a fast automated rendezvous profile.

The flight carries mission commander Zhang Lu, a veteran of the 2022 Shenzhou 15 mission, and two first-time flyers, Wu Fei and Zhang Hongzhang. Wu, 32, is an engineer and the youngest member of China’s astronaut corps. Zhang Hongzhang is a payload specialist and researcher. They will relieve the Shenzhou 20 crew, who are due to return to Earth in the days following the launch. Officials said the mission is the 16th crewed Chinese spaceflight and the 10th astronaut flight to Tiangong.

Shenzhou 21 is carrying biological and materials experiments, including six types of experimental samples and four mice two males and two females for short-term studies of reproduction, behavior and adaptation in microgravity and confined conditions. Engineers said...