Zhang Lu

Zhang Lu (; born November 1976) is a Chinese astronaut in the Shenzhou program. He enlisted in the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in August 1999, and joined the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in April 1999.

Zhang served as system operator on the 185-day Shenzhou 15 mission to the Tiangong space station in 2022-2023, and is currently serving as the commander of the Shenzhou 21 mission, which launched in October 2025. With 7 spacewalks for a total time of 47 hours 47 minutes, he is the current Chinese record holder for most spacewalks and most time spent outside a spacecraft, and ranks 19th globally.

Biography Zhang was born into a fisherman's family in Hanshou County, Hunan province, China, in November 1976. He attended Chengguan No. 4 Primary School , Zhanlepin Middle School and Hanshou County No. 1 High School . In 1981, at the age of 5, his family relocated to downtown Hanshou County, where they engaged in freshwater aquaculture. Due to hard work and thrift, his family became a 10,000-Yuan-Household in the early days of the reform and opening up.

After graduating from the current PLA Air Force Aviation University in 2000, he became a fighter pilot in the People's Liberation Army Air Force, and was selected to be an astronaut in May 2010.

Personal life Zhang married in 2003 and has a daughter.