China is preparing to launch a new mission to its Tiangong space station, which will include the country's youngest astronaut. The Shenzhou-21 mission is scheduled for Friday at 23:44 Beijing time (15:44 GMT) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. Tiangong station serves as the core of China's space program. The crew will consist of engineer Wu Wei, 32, who will become the youngest Chinese astronaut in history, pilot Zhang Lu, 48, and specialist Zhang Hongbo, 39. Zhang Lu expressed confidence in the team's ability to successfully complete the mission. Additionally, four mice will be on board for the first Chinese experiments with rodents in orbit. China, one of only three countries capable of independently sending humans into space, has made remarkable achievements, including landing on Mars and the Moon, returning lunar samples, and developing the BeiDou navigation system. Beijing remains firmly committed to its goal of sending astronauts to the Moon by 2030 and hopes to establish a base there. For this, critical tests of the lunar lander 'Lanyue' and the crewed spacecraft 'Mengzhou' are being prepared.
