China's Shenzhou-21 crewed space mission makes successful launch

China has hailed the launch of its Shenzhou-21 crewed spaceflight on Friday as a total success, announced the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

The spaceship, carrying a three-member crew – Zhang Lu, spacecraft pilot and mission commander, Wu Fei, flight engineer, and Zhang Hongzhang, payload specialist, was launched atop a Long March-2F rocket at 11:44 p.m. from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.

About 10 minutes later, the spaceship separated from the rocket and entered its preset orbit, with the crew members in good condition.

The spaceship adopted an autonomous rapid rendezvous mode and docked with the forward port of the Tianhe core module. The party of six will live and work together as they overlap for about five days during the handover process.

During their six-month stay, the Shenzhou-21 trio will carry out important scientific experiments. In the first such experiment of its kind for the country, the crew will raise four mice in orbit, hoping to glean findings critical to assessing the feasibility of long-term human survival and reproduction in space. They will also test new space technologies for application in life support systems. 

China's astronauts will also conduct extravehicular activities, also known as spacewalks, install debris protection devices, and commission and maintain both internal and external devices.

This mission marks the sixth crewed spaceflight during the application and development phase of China's space station and the 37th flight of the country's crewed space program. It is also the 604th flight mission for the Long March carrier rocket series.  

(Cover: A Long March-2F carrier rocket blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, October 31, 2025. /VCG)