LAUNCH OF CHINA’S SHENZHOU-21 CREW TO TIANGONG-3, Oct 31, 2025, Jiuquan, China,11:40 am EDT?

China’s next space station crew, Shenzhou-21, is expected to launch at about 11:40 am EDT (15:40 UTC, 11:40 pm Beijing Time) on October 31, 2025 from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi desert according to reporter Andrew Jones who closely follows China’s space program.

Shenzhou-21 crewed mission: Long March 2F Y21 has been rolled out to the pad at Jiuquan spaceport. Launch expected ~15:40 UTC Oct. 31. Crew to be revealed the day before launch. https://t.co/UbwxcKZ666 pic.twitter.com/OKja9s1R4X

— Andrew Jones (@AJ_FI) October 24, 2025

China usually doesn’t provide launch dates/time until very close to launch, but on October 24 Xinhua said the launch would be an “appropriate time in the future,” usually a signal that it is getting close.