Chinese astronauts have cooked chicken wings and steak aboard the China Space Station using a newly installed oven, marking a milestone in onboard food preparation during long-term missions.
Video clips released by the Astronaut Center of China (ACC) show crew members from the Shenzhou-20 and Shenzhou-21 missions grilling food for 28 minutes before gathering around to eat together. The oven is part of a broader effort to enhance living conditions in orbit.
The ACC said the oven was designed to provide taikonauts with freshly cooked meals and features smokeless, oil-free baking that meets the station’s air quality standards. It passed temperature control, residue collection, and high-temperature filtration tests, and the unit is cleared for 500 cooking cycles.
The move follows previous space cooking experiments, including a 2020 effort on the International Space Station that baked chocolate chip cookies. The Chinese unit’s faster cooking time, compared to the ISS prototype, reflects its design focus on daily use rather than experimentation.
China expands its space kitchen
The ACC said food options for Shenzhou-21 have grown to 190 items, with fresh vegetables, cakes, nuts, and meat now suitable for in-orbit cooking and baking. The Shenzhou-20 crew is set to return to Earth on November 5 after handing control of the station to the Shenzhou-21 team.
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