China plans youngest Tiangong crew to date on Shenzhou 17 mission

China is preparing to launch the youngest crew in its history to the Tiangong space station, a lineup that will bring a fresh wave of experience into orbit. The taikonauts on this mission will average about four years younger than the team that flew on the previous expedition, a detail reported by Phys.org with reference to the AFP news agency. The Tiangong station operates as a modular, rotating crew complex where three taikonauts live and work, rotating in six month cycles to maintain continuous human presence in low Earth orbit. The upcoming mission centers on the Shenzhou 17 capsule, which is slated to lift off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the northern reaches of China on October 26. The three-man crew includes a veteran leadership figure and two newcomers, signaling both continuity and fresh momentum for China’s long term presence in space. The mission commander is Tang Hongbo, a seasoned astronaut returning to Tiangong for his first mission since a prior expedition. He spoke to reporters at a recent briefing, expressing a long held ambition about resuming life among the stars and continuing China’s forward march in crewed spaceflight. Accompanying him are fellow taikonauts Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin, bringing a balance of experience and rising talent to the team. At launch time, the average age of the crew is around 38, contrasting with the Shenzhou 16 team, which had an average age of about 42 at liftoff. The new crew arrives as Tiangong is expected to maintain a steady presence in low Earth orbit at an altitude ranging roughly between 400 and 450 kilometers, with the mission plan extending for at least a decade. The broader spaceflight landscape continues to see nations expanding long duration missions, a trend reflected in other programs as well, including record time allocations for international crews aboard the International Space Station. In a related milestone, Russian cosmonauts have been indicated to spend an unprecedented period aboard the orbiting laboratory, underscoring a growing collaboration and competition in human spaceflight on a global scale.