On the evening of October 31, 2025, the three-member crew of Shenzhou 21 lifted off atop a Long March‑2F carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, setting the stage for a sustained mission at the orbiting space station.
The spacecraft departed at 11 : 44 p.m. Beijing Time and carries mission commander Zhang Lu alongside fellow astronauts Wu Fei and Zhang Hongzhang.
Approximately three-and-a-half hours into flight, Shenzhou 21 is scheduled to complete an automated docking with the forward port of the station’s core module. Once connected, the new crew will join a long-term mission, occupying the facility for around six months.
This flight is reported as the 37th mission in China’s human spaceflight programme.
Why this matters:
• The timely liftoff from Jiuquan underscores increasing cadence in orbital missions and reflects years of preparation and engineering.
• The six-month duration highlights the station’s role not just as a short-term platform but as a sustained outpost for scientific and technological work.
• For audiences across Africa and beyond, the mission serves as a reminder of how space-based science, human presence in orbit and international cooperation are evolving and how these developments may shape global opportunities in coming years.
Source: CGTN/China’s Shenzhou-21 blasts off for space station
