Shenzhou-21 Astronauts Welcomed Aboard by Current Crew | China Space Station

Shenzhou-21 Astronauts Welcomed Aboard by Current Crew | China Space Station

Astronauts on the Shenzhou-21 crew spacecraft were greeted by the Shenzhou-20 crew members they will be replacing, after successfully docking with China's Tiangong space station in orbit on November 1, 2025 to begin the handover of duties—only 3.5 hours after launch, setting a new record for the fastest docking achieved between a Shenzhou spacecraft and China’s space station.

Commander Zhang Lu, previously a member of the Shenzhou-15 mission, alongside flight engineer Wu Fei and payload specialist Zhang Hongzhang, who are each embarking on their first spaceflight mission, successfully entered the station's core module Tianhe after the spaceship made a fast automated rendezvous and docked with the Tianhe module at 03:22 Saturday (Beijing Time). 

The Shenzhou-20 crew opened the hatch at 04:58 (Beijing Time) and greeted the new arrivals, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

The six crew members then took group pictures for the seventh space get-together in China's aerospace history.

They will live and work together for about five days to complete planned tasks and handover work, the CMSA said.

The Shenzhou-21 astronauts will stay on board the space station for around six months.

They are set to undertake a series of key scientific experiments during their mission that will also see them witness the arrival of the Tianzhou-10 cargo craft and later welcome the Shenzhou-22 crewed spacecraft to take over duties onboard the space station.

Shenzhou-21 is the 37th flight mission of China's human spaceflight program and the sixth crewed mission during the application and development stage of the Tiangong Space Station.

Shenzhou-21 Crew
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

Shenzhou-20 Crew

Chen Dong (陈冬) - Commander - Third spaceflight

Chen Zhong Rui (陈中瑞) - Operator - First spaceflight

Wang Jie (王杰) - Flight Engineer - First spaceflight

Video Credit: CCTV
Duration: 4 minutes, 15 seconds
Release Date: Nov. 1, 2025 

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