Chinese astronauts make history by cooking barbecue in space for the first time: the final result

Members of two Chinese astronaut crews made history: They cooked and ate a barbecue in space for the first time.

The milestone was developed in the Tiangong Space Stationwhich orbits between 350 and 450 kilometers from Earth, to celebrate the arrival of the crew Shenzhou-21the relays of mission “20”.

Members of both crews recorded the relaxed moment, which was shared by the local network CCTV on the internet and on television.

Specifically about cooking, at the beginning one of the astronauts shows how he puts a dish with chicken wings in the oven and cooks them at 180 degrees for 28 minutes. The final result pleases the diners.

Then they prepare some previously seasoned and marinated grilled steaks.

Two astronauts show the raw steaks. Photo: CCTV capture

«It’s a luxury to enjoy grilled meat in space. The color alone makes them look great! The aroma can be felt in the air,» says one of the astronauts, surprised to be able to eat such a mundane food while so far away.

The final result. Photo: CCTV capture

The Shenzhou members used an oven specially designed for the microgravity environment with technology that guarantees safety, waste control, smoke filtering and reaches temperatures of up to 190°.

The Shenzhou-21 mission

Shenzhou-21 is China’s 10th manned mission to the Tiangong station (which has been continuously occupied since 2021) and China’s second manned launch in 2025.

Its crew will orbit in space for six months and carry out 27 scientific experimentsincluding the first Chinese study of rodent mammals in orbit.

The crew of the Shenzhou-21 mission. Photo: CCTV capture

The rocket Long March CZ-2F/Y Y21 It took off on October 31 with the Shenzhou-21 spacecraft from launch complex 90 of the Jiuquan space center, in Inner Mongolia province.

Shenzhou 21 docked at the front port of the Station’s Tianhe module, where it remained docked on the day of the barbecue along with the mission ship 20 and the Tianzhou 9 freighter.

Wu Feione of the men who arrived in the 21st, He is the youngest Chinese astronaut to reach spaceat only 32 years old. The commander accompanied him Zhang Lu and the payload specialist, Zhang Hongzhang.

The crew, who traveled together with four small mice, will return to Earth in May 2026. The animals, on the other hand, will return sooner with the Shenzhou-20.

According to the information on the site Openedit would be a short missiontaking into account that one of the astronauts of the «22» mission will have to spend a year on the station waiting for a Pakistani colleague whose presence in space is already confirmed for later.

The crew members of the Shenzhou-20 and 21 missions, together. Photo: CCTV capture

On the other hand, regarding the first Chinese moon landing, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) confirmed that The country will reach the satellite in 2030 and not before, as he had anticipated.