China Launches Youngest Astronaut to Tiangong Space Station

China has launched its seventh mission to the permanently inhabited Tiangong space station, featuring its youngest astronaut, Wu Fei, born in 1993, alongside veteran astronauts Zhang Lu and Zhang Hongzhang. The Shenzhou-21 spacecraft took off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre, continuing China's pattern of biannual launches and demonstrating rapid progress in its space program with younger astronauts taking lead roles. Alongside the crew, four black mice were sent to the station for pioneering experiments on mammal reproduction and behavior in microgravity, marking China's first scientific use of rodents in space. The mice, selected after rigorous training, will spend five to seven days in orbit before returning to Earth for further research on stress responses and adaptive changes in space. This mission highlights China's ambitions to advance both human spaceflight and scientific research, while also intensifying competition with the U.S. in lunar and space exploration initiatives. The diverse crew represents multiple generations of China's astronaut corps, underscoring the nation's commitment to sustaining its space presence and expanding its scientific capabilities.