China’s Shenzhou 21 docks with Tiangong space station in record time

China’s Shenzhou 21 spacecraft successfully docked with the Tiangong space station early Saturday, completing the maneuver in just 3.5 hours — the fastest docking ever achieved by China’s space program, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

The spacecraft lifted off at 11:44 p.m. local time Friday from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China, carrying a three-member crew who will spend six months aboard the orbiting station’s Tianhe core module.

The crew is led by Zhang Lu, a veteran astronaut who previously flew on the Shenzhou 15 mission. He is joined by Wu Fei, a 32-year-old engineer and China’s youngest astronaut to enter space, and Zhang Hongzhang, a payload specialist and former researcher in new energy and materials science.

Zhang Lu said the crew hopes to turn the Tiangong into a “utopia” in orbit, engaging in tai chi, gardening, and poetry alongside their scientific work. During their stay, the astronauts will carry out 27 research projects in biotechnology, aerospace medicine, and materials science.

For the first time, China has also sent four mice — two males and two females — to the space station to study how microgravity affects small mammals. The experiment, led by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, will help develop technologies for breeding and monitoring animals in space. The “space mice,” selected from 300 candidates after intensive training, will spend five to seven days on Tiangong before returning to Earth aboard Shenzhou 20.

China’s space program, managed by the People’s Liberation Army, remains a major source of national pride. Since launching its first crewed mission in 2003, China has become the third country to send humans into space independently and continues to expand its capabilities.

At a press conference ahead of the launch, Zhang Jingbo, spokesperson for CMSA, confirmed that work is progressing toward China’s goal of landing an astronaut on the Moon by 2030.

Meanwhile, China is collaborating with Pakistan to train two Pakistani astronauts, one of whom is expected to join a future Tiangong mission as a payload expert — potentially marking the first foreign astronaut visit to China’s space station.