China launched its youngest astronaut ever—32-year-old rookie Wu Fei—alongside four lab mice aboard the Shenzhou-21 mission to the Tiangong space station. The Long March-2F rocket roared to life at 11:44 pm from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, its blazing trail visible for miles as AFP reporters stood transfixed. This record-breaking flight underscores Beijing’s relentless push to dominate the final frontier, with a space program fueled by billions and unbridled ambition.

Commander Zhang Lu, a grizzled space veteran with ice in his veins, leads the trio, backed by payload expert Zhang Hongzhang, 39, whose scientific precision will drive the mission’s experiments. But all eyes are on Wu Fei—the fresh-faced flight engineer plucked from thousands of elite candidates, now the youngest taikonaut in history. At Thursday’s press conference, Wu beamed with uncontainable excitement, declaring himself “incomparably lucky” to escape Earth’s grasp. The crew’s emotional farewell, complete with a patriotic band and tearful waves, felt like a scene from a national epic.

Four mice—two males, two females—tucked into custom microgravity habitats for China’s first-ever rodent space trials. These pint-sized pioneers will reveal how zero-g affects muscles, bones, and even reproduction, data vital for future Moon and Mars missions. Selected for genetic diversity and monitored 24/7, the mice are more than cute cargo—they’re the unsung heroes of human space survival, paving the way for multi-year journeys beyond low Earth orbit.

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Docking with Tiangong is set for just 3.5 hours after launch, where the new crew will relieve their predecessors for a six-month tour. High-stakes spacewalks await to install anti-debris shields against micrometeoroids screaming past at 28,000 km/h, while live science broadcasts will ignite young minds back home. China’s also scouting global talent, recently signing Pakistan to train foreign taikonauts—proof the “space dream” is going international despite U.S. exclusion from the ISS since 2011.

This mission is a critical stepping stone to Xi Jinping’s 2030 lunar landing goal, complete with a permanent south-pole base near water ice. Fresh off landing on the Moon’s far side (Chang'e-4, 2019) and Mars (2021), China is sprinting ahead while building its own orbital coalition. As Shenzhou-21 races upward, a 32-year-old dreamer and four brave mice are writing the next chapter in a space race no longer dominated by superpowers of the past. History is unfolding—400 km overhead, and counting.

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