China will send its youngest astronaut on a space mission.

The crew for the next manned mission to the Tiangong space station will include the youngest astronaut on a Chinese space mission, as well as four rats, authorities announced Thursday.

The Shenzhou-21 mission is scheduled to launch on Friday at 10:44 PM (12:44 PM Brasília time) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, announced Zhang Jingbo, spokesperson for the China Manned Space Agency (CSA).

The Tiangong space station, crewed by teams of three astronauts on a rotating schedule every six months, is the crown jewel of the space program with which China aims to catch up with the United States and Russia.

The new team will be led by veteran space pilot Zhang Lu, who participated in the Shenzhou-15 mission two years ago.

He will be accompanied by payload specialist Zhang Hongzhang and flight engineer Wu Fei, both on their first spaceflight.

Wu, who recently turned 32, will become the youngest Chinese astronaut to participate in a space mission, authorities said.

The mission will also include four rats, two males and two females, with which the first Chinese experiments with rodents in orbit will be carried out, Zhang indicated.

Beijing aspires to send a manned mission to the Moon by 2030 and intends to build a base on the lunar surface.

AETEC stated this Thursday that it maintains its objective and outlined a series of "crucial upcoming tests" in preparation.

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