Why did China send rats into space?

For the first time, China has sent four rats into space with three astronauts. The Shenzhou 21 spacecraft was launched from the Jiyuan Satellite Launch Center on the night of October 31 for research.

According to China's state news agency, the astronauts will stay on the space station for about six months and during this time they will complete 27 scientific projects. On the other hand, the four rats will return to Earth in five to seven days.

The Shenzhou 21 spacecraft docked with the Tiangong space station three hours and 30 minutes after launch.

The astronauts participating in the mission are Commander Zhang Lu, Flight Engineer Wu Fei and Payload Specialist Zhang Hongzhang. They will conduct scientific experiments and maintenance work at the Tiangong station for six months.

Of the four rats sent with the mission, two are male and two are female. The experiment will open a new chapter for China's space research, where it will try to understand how the effects of microgravity work on animals and humans.

China built the Tiangong space station in 2021 and has been sending teams of astronauts every six months since then. This was China's seventh space mission.