Jiuquan: The China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced the astronaut crew for the Shenzhou-21 mission: Zhang Lu, Wu Fei, and Zhang Hongzhang, with Zhang Lu serving as the commander.

According to Thai News Agency, Xinhua News Agency reported that Zhang Jingbo, a spokesperson for the SSA, stated that the Shenzhou-21 manned spacecraft is set to launch from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at 11:44 p.m. Beijing time on Friday (Oct 31). The crew, comprising a command pilot, a flight engineer, and a payload specialist, represents China’s three current categories of astronauts.

Zhang Lu, who was a member of the Shenzhou-15 crew, will take command of the mission. Wu Fei and Zhang Hongzhang, who are part of China’s third-generation astronauts, will embark on their first space flight with this mission.

Prior to his selection as an astronaut, Wu Fei worked as an engineer at the China Institute of Space Technology under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC). Zhang Hongzhang was a researcher at the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.