China to send youngest astronaut, mice on space mission this week

Staff members attending a press conference of the Shenzhou-21 Manned Space Mission a day before the mission's launch at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in Jiuquan on Oct 30, 2025. - AFP

JIUQUAN, China: The crew for China's next manned flight to its space station will include the country's youngest astronaut to undertake a space mission, authorities said Thursday (Oct 30), as well as four lab mice.

The Tiangong space station -- crewed by teams of three astronauts that are exchanged every six months -- is the crown jewel of China's space programme, into which billions of dollars have been poured in a bid to catch up with the United States and Russia.