China's Shenzhou-21 mission launches, heads to Tiangong space station
The mission will focus in on a number of scientific trials, including mice experiments and spacewalks.
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Shenzhou-21 space mission astronauts Zhang Lu (R), Zhang Hongzhang (L) and Wu Fei, greet the public during the seeing-off ceremony at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center near Jiuquan, China, Friday. Wu is China's youngest astronaut. (Photo Credit: Wu Hao/EPA)
Oct. 31 (UPI) -- China sent three of its astronauts to the Tiangong space station on Friday in the 16th crewed spaceflight for China's Shenzhou program.
The Shenzhou 21 mission took off from the Gobi Desert on a Long March 2F rocket around 11:44 a.m. EDT at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.
Astronauts Zhang Lu, Zhang Hongzhang and Wu Fei were aboard for the six-month mission.
The three-module Tiangong space station, completed in October 2022, will welcome its 10th crewed flight.
The craft will dock with the front port of the Tianhe core module of the space station at about 3.5 hours after takeoff. It has a fast automated rendezvous and docking mode that will cut about 3 hours off of the mission, Space.com reported.
Chinese staff members pictured Oct. 2016 walking in front of the Long March 2F carrier rocket carrying the Shenzhou-11 spacecraft ahead of its launch at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan, Gansu province. On Friday, the Shenzhou 21 mission will launch. (Photo Credit: How Hwee Young/EPA
The astronauts will be greeted by Chen Dong, commander of the Shenzhou 20 mission, along with crewmates Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie, who launched on April 24. Chen Dong is the first Chinese astronaut to accumulate 400 days in orbit. The astronauts from his mission will come back to Earth on Monday.
Zhang Lu, 48, commands China's Shenzhou 15 mission for its jaunt in space. Wu, 32, and Zhang Hongzhang, 39, made their first space flights Friday.
Wu is China's youngest astronaut.
"As the youngest member of China's Astronaut Corps, I feel extremely fortunate to embark on my spaceflight mission," Wu said Thursday.
The mission will focus in on a number of scientific trials, including mice experiments and spacewalks.
"I owe my good fortune to the era we live in, which is seeing leapfrog development in China's aerospace industry," Wu said.
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