China on track for 2030 moon landing as Shenzhou-21 prepares for space station mission
發佈日期: 2025-10-30 20:45
TVB News
China's Shenzhou-21 crewed spaceship will lift off at 11:44 p.m. tomorrow from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre.
For the first time, the mission will bring mice into space for scientific experiments.
Astronauts of the Shenzhou-21 manned spaceflight mission Zhang Lu, Wu Fei and Zhang Hongzhang met the press in Wentian Pavilion at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre.
49-year-old Zhang Lu -- the mission commander this time -- is a veteran astronaut who flew on Shenzhou-15.
He says being able to represent the nation again after two years fills him with excitement and since completing his Shenzhou-15 mission, he has returned to high-intensity training with the mindset of a student.
32-year-old Wu Fei serves as a flight engineer while 39-year-old Zhang Hongzhang will be the payload specialist.
Both making their maiden spaceflight.
Wu, being the youngest member of the corps, says he feels very fortunate about the assignment.
Zhang says they are undertaking research that earlier generations could only dream of.
The crew will stay aboard the space station for six months and carry out 27 experimental and application projects.
They include the first in-orbit experiment involving rodents, sending four mice into space for breeding and reserach -- as well as spacewalk.
Zhang Jingbo, spokesperson of the China Manned Space Agency, says the crew will also carry out extravehicular activities and cargo transfers, as well as installing space debris protection equipment.
On China's crewed lunar program, the agency says preparations are "progressing smoothly" with hopes of achieving a manned lunar landing by 2030.
