The upcoming crew for China’s Tiangong space station includes the youngest astronaut in the nation’s history, along with four mice, as revealed by local authorities yesterday.
According to Zhang Jingbo, spokesperson for the China Manned Space Administration (CMSA), the Shenzhou-21 mission is set to launch today at 23:44 (15:44 GMT) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China.
The Tiangong space station, which hosts a rotating crew of three astronauts every six months, serves as the central hub for China’s space program. Engineer Wu Yai, 32, is preparing to make history as the youngest Chinese astronaut to venture into space.
In a statement to reporters yesterday, he expressed, “I feel incredibly fortunate that my dream is becoming part of the glorious history of China’s space program—it’s the greatest opportunity granted to me in this era.”
The team will be led by pilot Zhang Lu, 48, who was part of the Shenzhou-15 mission more than two years ago, along with Chang Hongzhang, 39, who will also participate in this mission.
Additionally, the mission includes four mice—two males and two females—which will be the subjects of the first Chinese experiments conducted in orbit on rodents.