China’s Shenzhou-21 mission docks at Tiangong with three astronauts and lab mice onboard

The Shenzhou-21 mission has docked with Tiangong after a fast automated chase of about three and a half hours, completing China’s seventh crew rotation since the station’s completion. A Long March 2F lifted off from Jiuquan at 11:44 p.m. Beijing time on October 31.

The Shenzhou-21 mission reached the Tianhe core module’s forward port at around 3:22 a.m., and hatch opening followed soon after as the incoming trio began handover with the Shenzhou-20 crew. The commander is Zhang Lu, a Shenzhou-15 veteran. He flies with two first-timers, flight engineer Wu Fei, who is 32, and payload specialist Zhang Hongzhang from the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Across six months, the Shenzhou-21 mission will run a slate of 27 experiments that span life sciences, space medicine, materials, fluid physics, and new technology. For the first time on Tiangong, four lab mice will support a short small-mammal study in microgravity, with plans to return them to Earth on the outgoing Shenzhou-20 spacecraft for analysis within the first week. The Shenzhou-21 mission is in orbit and nominal, with joint-crew operations underway.

Shenzhou-21 docks with Tiangong in 3.5 hours: Launch, timeline, and what’s next

Launch occurred at 23:44 Beijing time on October 31 from Jiuquan. The Shenzhou-21 mission then executed a fast autonomous rendezvous, docking with Tianhe’s forward port at 03:22. The six astronauts met after hatch opening at 04:58, beginning a multi-day handover before the Shenzhou-20 crew departs in early November. The Shenzhou-21 mission remains on station for roughly six months to conduct research and station upkeep while continuing a steady cadence of crewed operations.

China’s program shaved the rendezvous timeline to about three and a half hours for this flight, setting a national mark and trimming several hours compared with the previous rotation. As per the Xinhua report dated November 1, 2025, Li Zhe stated,

“A shorter rendezvous and docking time is always preferable....For the astronauts, it means less travel stress and a smoother journey”

He added that this approach reduces travel stress for astronauts while imposing tighter control demands on orbital maneuvers. The Shenzhou-21 mission used the established automated profile and reached the station on schedule.

Ingress and handover tasks include safety briefings, cargo transfers, and experiment activation, with the outgoing crew scheduled to land around the Dongfeng area after undocking. State and trade coverage also note a broader context. China continues to pair reliable station rotations with preparations toward a first crewed lunar landing target near 2030.

Why China flew four lab mice: The first small-mammal experiment on Tiangong and how the return works

The Shenzhou-21 mission carries four mice, two male and two female, for a short in-orbit study of behavior and adaptation in microgravity and confined space. Scientists plan continuous video monitoring and controlled lighting to match Earth’s circadian rhythm. The aim is to gather preliminary data on stress responses and adaptation mechanisms that inform long-duration human spaceflight and biomedical research.

As per the Xinhua report dated November 1, 2025, Huang Kun remarked,

“These traits make them ideal for studying physiological and pathological processes.”

The work extends earlier Chinese space-biology experiments with smaller organisms to a first rodent-mammal model on Tiangong. Return logistics are built around the on-orbit crew swap. The plan is to send the mice home aboard Shenzhou-20 within the first week of the Shenzhou-21 mission, allowing rapid ground analysis of tissues and organs.

Program officials say this first step focuses on feasibility, husbandry, and data collection under microgravity conditions rather than long reproductive cycles. The Shenzhou-21 mission will also support 27 additional projects covering life sciences, medicine, materials, fluid physics, combustion studies, and new platform technologies.

Meet the Shenzhou-21 mission crew: Zhang Lu, Wu Fei, Zhang Hongzhang, and the six-month checklist

Zhang Lu, 48, returns as mission commander after his Shenzhou-15 tour. Wu Fei, 32, is the youngest Chinese astronaut to fly and serves as flight engineer. Zhang Hongzhang, 39, is a payload specialist and researcher from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Pre-launch briefings highlighted that the three represent pilot, engineer, and specialist roles in service, reflecting the maturing crew-composition model. As per Space.com report dated October 30, 2025, Wu Fei stated,

“As the youngest member of China’s Astronaut Corps, I feel extremely fortunate to embark on my spaceflight mission...I owe my good fortune to the era we live in, which is seeing leapfrog development in China's aerospace industry.”

The Shenzhou-21 mission task list includes multiple spacewalks, cargo operations, debris-protection hardware installs, and deployment or recovery of external payloads. Education and public-engagement activities are also scheduled. Program leadership continues to link reliable station cadence with the next milestones. As per the AP News report dated October 30, 2025, Zhang Jingbo stated,

“Our fixed goal of China landing a person on the moon by 2030 is firm.”

The mission, therefore, advances both near-term station science and longer-term human exploration goals.

Stay tuned for more updates.