China Sends Its Youngest Astronaut to ‘Heavenly Palace’ Space Station on Shenzhou-21 Mission

China’s Shenzhou-21 mission launched from Jiuquan, carrying three astronauts aboard a Long March-2F rocket. Crew includes Zhang Lu, Zhang Hongzhang and Wu Fei, the youngest Chinese astronaut ever sent to space at 32. The mission replaced the Shenzhou-20 team after six months aboard Tiangong, China’s permanently inhabited orbital space station. Four black mice accompany the crew for scientific experiments on mammalian reproduction in low-Earth orbit