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This is a list of Chinese astronauts, sometimes called taikonauts. The list includes people trained by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft.
As the Chinese space program developed during the sixties, various proposals for crewed spacecraft were made. The first crewed spacecraft proposed by the People's Republic of China during the late 1960s and early 1970s was the Shuguang One which was expected to bring the first Chinese astronaut in 1973 into space. [1] For this programme 19 astronauts were selected in 1971. [1] However, shortly after these plans were made, several leading scientists attached to the project were denounced, bringing progress to a standstill. [1] Instead, NASA astronaut Taylor Wang, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in China, became the first ethnically Chinese person in space in 1985.
The People's Liberation Army Astronaut Corps was established in 1998 for the selection of Shenzhou program astronauts. [2] In 2003, Yang Liwei was launched aboard Shenzhou 5, becoming the first person sent into space by the Chinese space program. [3] This achievement made China the third country to independently send humans into space. During the Shenzhou 7 mission in 2008, Zhai Zhigang became the first Chinese citizen to carry out a spacewalk. [4] In 2012, Liu Yang became the first Chinese woman to be launched into space aboard Shenzhou 9 and also the first aboard a space station Tiangong-1. [5] In 2021, Wang Yaping became the first Chinese woman to walk in space during the Shenzhou 13 mission. [6]
As of October 2023 [update] , twenty Chinese nationals have traveled in space.
Name | Name in Chinese | Photograph | Mission(s) (dates) | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Yang Liwei | 杨利伟 | Shenzhou 5 (October 15, 2003) | First Chinese national in space. First solo person in space who was not flown on a Soviet/Russian or American spacecraft. | |
Fei Junlong | 费俊龙 | Shenzhou 6 (October 12–16, 2005) Shenzhou 15 (November 29, 2022–June 3, 2023) | Commander of the first two-person Chinese crew in space. | |
Nie Haisheng | 聂海胜 | Shenzhou 6 (October 12–16, 2005) Shenzhou 10 (June 11–26, 2013) Shenzhou 12 (June 17–September 17, 2021) | Member of the first two-person Chinese crew in space. | |
Jing Haipeng | 景海鹏 | Shenzhou 7 (September 25–28, 2008) Shenzhou 9 (June 16–29, 2012) Shenzhou 11 (October 17–November 18, 2016) Shenzhou 16 (May 30, 2023–October 31, 2023) | Member of the first three-person Chinese crew in space. First repeat Chinese national in space. Commander of the first Chinese crew to achieve crewed spacecraft docking. | |
Liu Boming | 刘伯明 | Shenzhou 7 (September 25–28, 2008) Shenzhou 12 (June 17–September 17, 2021) | Member of the first three-person Chinese crew in space. | |
Zhai Zhigang | 翟志刚 | Shenzhou 7 (September 25–28, 2008) Shenzhou 13 (October 15, 2021–April 16, 2022) | First Chinese national to walk in space. Commander of the first Chinese three-person crew in space. | |
Liu Wang | 刘旺 | Shenzhou 9 (June 16–29, 2012) | Member of the first Chinese crew to achieve crewed spacecraft docking. | |
Liu Yang | 刘洋 | Shenzhou 9 (June 16–29, 2012) Shenzhou 14 (June 5–December 4, 2022) | First Chinese woman in space. Member of first Chinese crew to achieve crewed spacecraft docking. | |
Zhang Xiaoguang | 张晓光 | Shenzhou 10 (June 11–26, 2013) | Conducted crewed spacecraft rendezvous and docking. | |
Wang Yaping | 王亚平 | Shenzhou 10 (June 11–26, 2013) Shenzhou 13 (October 15, 2021–April 16, 2022) | Second Chinese female taikonaut and the first Chinese woman to travel twice in space. First Chinese woman to walk in space. | |
Chen Dong | 陈冬 | Shenzhou 11 (October 17–November 18, 2016) Shenzhou 14 (June 5–December 4, 2022) | Conducted multiple space experiments. | |
Tang Hongbo | 汤洪波 | Shenzhou 12 (June 17–September 17, 2021) Shenzhou 17 (October 26, 2023-present) | ||
Ye Guangfu | 叶光富 | Shenzhou 13 (October 15, 2021–April 16, 2022) | ||
Cai Xuzhe | 蔡旭哲 | Shenzhou 14 (June 5–December 4, 2022) | ||
Deng Qingming | 邓清明 | Shenzhou 15 (November 29, 2022–June 3, 2023) | ||
Zhang Lu | 张陆 | Shenzhou 15 (November 29, 2022–June 3, 2023) | ||
Zhu Yangzhu | 朱杨柱 | Shenzhou 16 (May 30, 2023–October 31, 2023) | ||
Gui Haichao | 桂海潮 | Shenzhou 16 (May 30, 2023–October 31, 2023) | First payload specialist, first civilian taikonaut in space | |
Tang Shengjie | 唐胜杰 | Shenzhou 17 (October 26, 2023–present) | ||
Jiang Xinlin | 江新林 | Shenzhou 17 (October 26, 2023–present) |
China announced that 18 people, 17 men and 1 woman, had been selected as new astronauts. The positions were broken down as 7 spacecraft pilots ("aviators of the People's Liberation Army Air Force"), 7 flight engineers ("former researchers or technicians in aeronautics, astronautics and other related fields"), and 4 mission payload specialists ("those involved in space science and through applications for China's manned space program").
As of October 2023, only names of those selected to fly to space have been revealed.
China announced that 12 to 14 people are to be selected as new astronauts. The positions were broken down as 7-8 spacecraft pilots ("aviators of the People's Liberation Army Air Force") and 5-6 spaceflight engineers ("former researchers or technicians in aeronautics, astronautics and other related fields"). Up to two of the latter group will become payload specialists ("those involved in space science and through applications for China's manned space program"). Candidacy was extended to include Hong Kong and Macau.
Yang Liwei is a Chinese major general, former military pilot, and former taikonaut at the People's Liberation Army.
As of 2024, the People's Republic of China has sent two women to space: Liu Yang and Wang Yaping, both taikonauts in the People's Liberation Army Astronaut Corps (PLAAC). Liu Yang, China's first female taikonaut, first flew in 2012 aboard Shenzhou 9, and since then three additional missions have included female crew members: Shenzhou 10, 13, and 14. According to the China National Space Administration, many women also hold leadership positions in the Chinese space program, and actively contribute to the Chinese space effort.
Liu Boming is a major general in the Chinese People's Liberation Army Strategic Support Force (PLASSF). A fighter pilot in the PLA Air Force (PLAAF), he was selected into the PLA Astronaut Corps (PLAAC) in 1998. A Shenzhou 7 veteran, he also worked on the Tiangong space station during the Shenzhou 12 mission from June to September 2021.
Shenzhou 7 was the third human spaceflight mission of the Chinese space program. The mission, which included the first Chinese extra-vehicular activity (EVA) carried out by crew members Zhai Zhigang and Liu Boming, marked the commencement of the second phase of the Chinese government's Project 921.
Zhai Zhigang is a Chinese major general of the People's Liberation Army Strategic Support Force (PLASSF) in active service as a People's Liberation Army Astronaut Corps (PLAAC) taikonaut. During the Shenzhou 7 mission in 2008, he became the first Chinese citizen to carry out a spacewalk. He was a People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) fighter pilot.
Nie Haisheng is a major general of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Strategic Support Force (PLASSF) in active service as an taikonaut and the third commander of the PLA Astronaut Corps (PLAAC). He was a PLA Air Force fighter pilot and director of navigation.
Jing Haipeng is a major general of the People's Liberation Army Ground Force (PLAGF) in active service as a vice-commander of the 82nd Group Army. A fighter pilot in the PLA Air Force (PLAAF), he was selected to be a PLA Astronaut Corps (PLAAC) astronaut in 1998. He was the first Chinese astronaut to have flown on more than one mission and remains the only one to have flown on four. He also holds the Chinese record for longest time spent in space.
The Tiangong program is China's space program to create a modular space station, comparable to Mir. This program is independent and unconnected to any other international space-active countries. The program is part of the China Manned Space Program that began in 1992. The core module of the Tiangong space station, the Tianhe was finally launched on 29 April 2021 marking the start of the Tiangong Space program deployment.
Tiangong, officially the Tiangong space station, is a permanently crewed space station constructed by China and operated by China Manned Space Agency in low Earth orbit between 340 and 450 km above the surface. It is China's first long-term space station, part of the Tiangong program and the core of the "Third Step" of the China Manned Space Program; it has a pressurised volume of 340 m3, slightly over one third the size of the International Space Station.
Shenzhou 9 was the fourth crewed spacecraft flight of China's Shenzhou program, launched at 18:37:24 CST, 16 June 2012. Shenzhou 9 was the second spacecraft and first crewed mission and expedition to dock with the Tiangong-1 space station, which took place on 18 June. The Shenzhou 9 spacecraft landed at 10:01:16 CST on 29 June in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The mission's crew included the first Chinese female astronaut, Liu Yang. The next mission was Shenzhou 10, which launched on 11 June 2013.
Shenzhou 10 was a crewed spaceflight of China's Shenzhou program that was launched on 11 June 2013. It was China's fifth crewed space mission. The mission had a crew of three astronauts: Nie Haisheng, who was mission commander and previously flew on Shenzhou 6; Zhang Xiaoguang, a former PLAAF squadron commander who conducted the rendezvous and docking; and Wang Yaping, the second Chinese female astronaut. The Shenzhou spacecraft docked with the Tiangong-1 trial space laboratory module on 13 June, and the astronauts performed physical, technological, and scientific experiments while on board. Shenzhou 10 was the 2nd and final expedition and mission to Tiangong-1 in this portion of the Tiangong program. On 26 June 2013, after a series of successful docking tests, Shenzhou 10 returned to Earth.
The China Manned Space Program, also known as Project 921 is a space program developed by the People's Republic of China and run by the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) under the Equipment Development Department of the Central Military Commission, designed to develop and enhance human spaceflight capabilities for China. It was approved on 21 September 1992 and has been in operation ever since. The CMS commander and director are currently Xu Xueqiang and Zhou Jianping respectively; the latter has held this position since 2006, after taking over from Wang Yongzhi, who served as the first director from 1992 to 2006.
Tiangong-1 was China's first prototype space station. It orbited Earth from September 2011 to April 2018, serving as both a crewed laboratory and an experimental testbed to demonstrate orbital rendezvous and docking capabilities during its two years of active operational life.
Wang Yaping is a Chinese military transport pilot and taikonaut. Wang was the second female taikonaut selected to the People's Liberation Army Astronaut Corps, the second Chinese woman in space, and the first Chinese woman to perform a spacewalk.
Liu Yang is a Chinese military transport pilot and taikonaut. On 16 June 2012, Yang became the first Chinese woman in space, as a crew member of Shenzhou 9.
Shenzhou 13 was a Chinese spaceflight to the Tiangong space station, launched on 15 October 2021. It carried three People's Liberation Army Astronaut Corps (PLAAC) taikonauts on board a Shenzhou spacecraft. The mission was the eighth crewed Chinese spaceflight and the thirteenth flight overall of the Shenzhou program.
Shenzhou 12 was a Chinese spaceflight to the Tiangong space station, launched on 17 June 2021. It carried three People's Liberation Army Astronaut Corps (PLAAC) taikonauts on board a Shenzhou spacecraft. The mission was the seventh crewed Chinese spaceflight and the twelfth flight overall of the Shenzhou program. It was the first flight to Tiangong, and the first Chinese crewed spaceflight since Shenzhou 11 in 2016.
Senior Colonel Tang Hongbo is a Chinese fighter pilot and People's Liberation Army Astronaut Corps (PLAAC) taikonaut. He flew on his first spaceflight to the Tiangong space station as a part of the Shenzhou 12 mission, the first to visit the station. He is the commander of the Shenzhou 17 mission, making him the first taikonaut to visit Tiangong twice.
Shenzhou 14 was a Chinese spaceflight to the Tiangong space station, launched on 5 June 2022. It carried three People's Liberation Army Astronaut Corps (PLAAC) taikonauts on board a Shenzhou spacecraft. The mission was the ninth crewed Chinese spaceflight and the fourteenth flight overall of the Shenzhou program.
Shenzhou 15 was a Chinese spaceflight to the Tiangong space station, launched on 29 November 2022. It carried three People's Liberation Army Astronaut Corps (PLAAC) taikonauts on board a Shenzhou spacecraft. The mission was the tenth crewed Chinese spaceflight and the fifteenth flight overall of the Shenzhou program.