China's Shenzhou-21 astronauts, namely Zhang Lu, Wu Fei and Zhang Hongzhang, have now spent 203 days in orbit, set to break the record for the longest stay in space by Chinese astronauts, said Zhang Jingbo, spokesman of the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) on Saturday.
The three astronauts entered the space station on November 1, 2025. After completing a full six-month stay in orbit with excellent conditions, the trio has continued working on the space station for another month.
At a press conference ahead of the launch of Shenzhou-23 crewed spaceship, Zhang briefed media on the in-orbit stay of Shenzhou-21 astronauts and the progress made so far.
"As of today, the Shenzhou-21 crew has been in orbit for 203 days, potentially breaking the record for the longest stay by Chinese astronauts. All tasks are progressing smoothly, and the three astronauts are in good condition. During this mission, the crew conducted three extravehicular activities (EVAs). They have completed tasks such as inspecting and photographing the Shenzhou-20 return capsule's portholes, installing space debris protection devices, and inspecting external facilities," Zhang said.
Commander Zhang Lu has conducted a total of seven EVAs, making him the Chinese astronaut with the highest number of spacewalks to date.
Payload specialist Zhang Hongzhang, on his first spaceflight, has led experiments focused on in-situ electrochemical optical studies of lithium-ion batteries as well as research in life sciences and fluid-combustion physics.
Flight engineer Wu Fei, also making his debut mission, has become China's youngest astronaut to conduct spacewalk.
"In collaboration with technical teams on Earth, the crew has achieved progress across many fields, including space life science, materials science, microgravity fundamental physics, aerospace medicine, and new space technologies. For the first time, China achieved its first successful closed-loop rearing of mice in orbit, establishing a technical foundation for future mammalian experiments in space. The crew also generated low-defect indium selenide crystals in orbit, which have been used on the ground to fabricate high-performance field-effect transistor prototypes that outperform similar devices produced entirely on Earth," said the spokesperson.
According to him, the crew has also achieved several other scientific breakthroughs, including non-contact health monitoring, and in-orbit aero-hydroponic cultivation of cherry tomatoes and wheat, as well as the ignition of a new ionic-liquid propellant.
Shenzhou-21 crew to break record for longest in-orbit stay by Chinese astronauts
