China's Youngest Astronaut Crew Set for Historic Space Station Mission

China's youngest astronaut crew consisting of Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie, and Jiang Xinlin will carry out the Shenzhou-17 manned spaceflight mission to the China Space Station (CSS). Tang Hongbo will be the commander, making him the first astronaut to return to CSS and setting a new record for the shortest interval between two spaceflight missions by Chinese astronauts. The crew, with an average age in their early 30s, includes one veteran and two rookies from China's astronaut program. The Shenzhou-17 mission is scheduled to launch on October 26, 2023, and the crew will stay in orbit for about six months.