New Delhi . China announced on Saturday that its Shenzhou-2 spacecraft along with its three-member crew has connected to the country’s space station Tiangong in record time. According to China’s Manned Space Agency, the docking process took just 3.5 hours – about three hours faster than previous missions.
The Shenzhou-21 spacecraft lifted off from the Jiuquan launch center in northwestern China at 11:44 pm local time late Friday night. After the successful launch, the spacecraft headed straight towards the Tianhe core module and successfully docked with it.
three member team
The team of this mission is commanded by pilot and mission commander Zhang Lu, who had also been a part of the Shenzhou-15 mission two years ago. He is accompanied by two new astronauts – 32-year-old engineer Wu Fei, who has become the youngest astronaut in China’s history so far. In addition, there is also payload expert Zhang Hongzhang, who was previously a scientist researching new energy and new materials.
Zhang Lu said before the launch that the team would transform Tiangong Station into a “utopia” – where they would conduct activities such as tai-chi, gardening and poetry recitation. The team members will remain on the space station for about six months.
27 scientific projects and space rats
During the mission the astronauts will work on 27 scientific and applied experiments, including biotechnology, aerospace medicine and materials science. This time, for the first time, China is also sending rats to its space station. A total of four rats (two male and two female) have been sent to study their behavioral changes in zero gravity and confined environment.
Han Pei, an engineer at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said the experiment will help us develop breeding and monitoring techniques for small mammals in space and help us understand how they adapt to emergencies and the space environment. These space rats were selected from 300 candidates and were sent into space after 60 days of intensive training. According to Xinhua News Agency, these rats will stay on the space station for 5 to 7 days and will return to Earth via Shenzhou-20.
China’s growing space empire
China’s space program has become a symbol of pride for the country. In 2003, China launched its first manned space flight, becoming the third country to do so after the United States and the former Soviet Union. China Human Space Agency spokesperson Zhang Jingbo said that the country’s plan to land humans on the Moon by 2030 is fixed and strong. Our goal of sending Chinese astronauts to the Moon is definite and research and development work is going on smoothly.
cooperation with pakistan
China is also currently cooperating with Pakistan. Under the agreement between the two countries, China will select and train two Pakistani astronauts, one of whom will be sent to the Tiangong station for a short-term mission in the future. This will be the first visit by a foreign astronaut to China’s space station.
New chapter in space from the heavenly palace
The Tiangong space station, built entirely with Chinese technology, has established China as a global power in space research. China was kept out of the International Space Station (ISS) due to US security concerns, after which it created its own independent space station. The Shenzhou-21 mission marks another milestone in China’s space journey – a symbol not only of its technological prowess but also its rapidly growing confidence in space science.
