Shenzhou 21
Liftoff of Shenzhou 21 | |
| Mission type | Tiangong space station crew transport |
|---|---|
| Operator | China Manned Space Agency |
| COSPAR ID | 2025-246A |
| SATCAT no. | 66263 |
| Mission duration | 13 days, 16 hours, 55 minutes |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | Shenzhou |
| Manufacturer | China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation |
| Crew | |
| Crew size | 3 |
| Launching | |
| Landing | Chen Dong Chen Zhongrui Wang Jie |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 31 October 2025, 15:44:46 UTC (23:44:46 CST) |
| Rocket | Long March 2F |
| Launch site | Jiuquan, LA-4/SLS |
| Contractor | China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology |
| End of mission | |
| Landing date | 14 November 2025, 08:40 UTC |
| Landing site | Inner Mongolia, China |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Inclination | 41.5° |
| Docking with Tiangong space station | |
| Docking port | Tianhe forward |
| Docking date | 31 October 2025, 19:22 UTC |
| Undocking date | 14 November 2025, 03:14 UTC |
| Time docked | 13 days, 7 hours, 52 minutes |
Mission patch | |
Shenzhou 21 (Chinese: 神舟二十一号; pinyin: Shénzhōu èrshíyī-hào; lit. 'Divine Boat Number 21') was a Chinese spaceflight to the Tiangong space station, launched on 31 October 2025. It carried three taikonauts on board a Shenzhou spacecraft. The mission is the 16th crewed Chinese spaceflight and the 21st flight overall of the Shenzhou program. The flight marked the tenth crew rotation to the Tiangong station, which has been continuously occupied since June 2021.
The Shenzhou 21 spacecraft was originally scheduled to complete a six-month rotation at Tiangong. However, due to suspected space debris damage to the Shenzhou 20 spacecraft, Shenzhou 21 returned to Earth early after only a two-week stay, carrying the Shenzhou 20 crew. The Shenzhou 21 mission crew remains at Tiangong.