Shenzhou-20 & Shenzhou-21 Crews: In-Orbit Handover | International Space Station
At the handover ceremony at the Tianhe core module of the Chinese Space Station on November 4, 2025, all six astronauts from the two teams signed confirmation forms.
Chen Dong, commander of the Shenzhou-20 crew, handed over the symbolic key to the space station to Zhang Lu, commander of the Shenzhou-21 crew.
"After several days of work handover, the Shenzhou-21 crew have quickly settled into their roles, adapted to the environment, and become familiar with the work rhythm, making a good start. We are about to return to Earth, and now I hand over the hatch key, symbolizing our responsibility for the Chinese space station, to you. I hope that in the next six months, you will work efficiently and live healthily. And as you said at the media briefing, I hope you will demonstrate the romance of astronauts, build and maintain our space home, and fulfill your promises with concrete actions," Chen said.
"Please rest assured that we will take up the responsibility and safeguard our space home. We will build and manage the Chinese space station well, and make it the most suitable paradise in the universe," Zhang said.
The Shenzhou-21 crewed spacecraft was launched into space on Friday, October 31, 2025, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket.
As of now, the three Shenzhou-20 astronauts—Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie—have completed all scheduled tasks at China's Tiangong space station, and are set to land at the Dongfeng landing site aboard the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft.
Currently, the landing site and all participating systems are making final preparations to welcome the trio back.
China's Shenzhou-20 crew on November 4, 2025, completed their in-orbit handover with the Shenzhou-21 crew and will return to Earth on November 5, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).
Zhang Lu (张陆) - Commander & Pilot - Second spaceflight
Wu Fei (武飞) Flight Engineer - First spaceflight
Zhang Hong Zhang (张洪章) - Payload Specialist - First spaceflight
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