Shenzhou 21 Crew Sets Record for Longest On-Orbit Stay by Chinese Astronauts

Exam-focused facts from the 1 June 2026 current affairs briefing.

Key facts

The Shenzhou 21 crew, consisting of Zhang Lu, Wu Fei, and Zhang Hongzhang, set a record for the longest on-orbit stay by a Chinese crew after spending nearly seven months in space.
The spacecraft landed at the Dongfeng landing site in the Inner Mongolia region of north China.
The China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) reported that Zhang Lu became the Chinese astronaut with the most spacewalks, completing seven operations in total.
The Shenzhou 23 crew, comprising commander Zhu Yangzhu, Zhang Zhiyuan, and Lai Ka-ying, arrived at the Tiangong space station, which means Heavenly Palace in Chinese.
Lai Ka-ying, also identified as Li Jiaying, is the first astronaut from Hong Kong to be on a space mission.