China launches youngest astronauts ‘four mice’ for pioneering space mission

The latest Chinese crewed mission to the Tiangong space station, or “Heavenly Palace” involved three astronauts, including the youngest member of its crew, and for the first time, live mammals for biological investigations.

It marks the seventh mission to the permanently inhabited Chinese space station since continuous human presence began in 2022.

The Shenzhou-21 mission involves a crew of three astronauts for a six-month stay in space.

First-time astronauts for China, Zhang Hongzhang, and Wu Fei were selected to participate in the program in 2020.

Launch of the first mammal to the space station

The youngest astronaut will take over from the Shenzhou-20 crew who had lived and worked aboard Tiangong, “Heavenly Palace”, for six months.

The Shenzhou-20 astronauts will come back down to Earth in the coming days.

The Shenzhou-21 crew were also joined by four black mice, the first small mammals to be taken to the Chinese space station.

The mice will be used in experiments as a biomedical model to study long-term adaptation and reproduction in low Earth orbit, which is crucial for human settlement in space.

The mice will be used in experiments as a biomedical model to study long-term adaptation and reproduction in low Earth orbit, which is crucial for future human settlement in space.

The semi-annual launches have become the norm for the Shenzhou program, which has reached new landmarks with the deployment of Chinese astronauts born in the 1990s, and plans to train and send the first astronaut from Pakistan to Tiangong next year.

The recent advancements have prompted the U.S. to enter a race to put astronauts on the moon again before China does.

Key strategies to develop a new generation

The recent breakthrough will contribute to achieving popular science education and inspiring young people nationally and internationally.

No doubt, it will help to develop a nation of highly skilled astronauts, demonstrating the nation's commitment to engaging young and talented people in engineering, technology, and aerospace.