A crew of three Chinese astronauts – including the country’s youngest ever – successfully docked at the Tiangong space station early Saturday. They were joined by an unusual group of passengers: four lab mice.
According to the AFP news agency, the Shenzhou-21 spacecraft docked with Tiangong at 3:22 a.m. (Friday 1922 GMT), about three and a half hours after liftoff from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China aboard a Long March-2F rocket.
Beijing has made no secret of its ambition to land astronauts on the moon by 2030 and eventually build a permanent lunar base, aimed at competing with the long-established programs of the United States and Russia.
Tiangong Station, which hosts rotating teams of three astronauts every six months, is seen as the centerpiece of China’s space program – a project in which billions of pounds have been invested.
About Tiangong Space Station
The Tiangong Space Station, also known as the “Heavenly Palace”, is the crown jewel of China’s space program.
The country has invested billions of dollars in it in an attempt to catch up with the United States and Russia after it was banned from the International Space Station due to US national security concerns over the direct connection of China’s space program to the People’s Liberation Army.
Who makes up the new crew?
This latest crew includes first-time astronauts Zhang Hongzhang and Wu Fei, who was just 32 years old, making him the youngest Chinese astronaut to travel to space. They are led by Commander Zhang Lu, who previously served on a mission two years ago.
Why are mice part of the mission?
The four mice are part of an experiment to investigate how weightlessness and confinement affect the animals’ behavior. They were selected from 300 candidates after more than 60 days of training, Xinhua said.
The crew will also conduct 27 science experiments spanning biotechnology, space medicine and materials science.
How does this fit into the space race?
The mission comes amid renewed competition in the global space race. “Our firm goal for China to land a man on the moon by 2030 is firm,” Zhang Jingbo, a spokesman for the China Space Agency, told DW.
Built entirely by China after it was kicked out of the International Space Station, Tiangong cemented Beijing’s role as a major space power.
Earlier this week, SpaceX announced it had proposed a “simplified” plan for NASA to return American astronauts to the moon before China completes its own manned lunar mission.
