<p><meta name="uuid" content="uuidw3WEEWpJW3Qw" /><meta charset="utf-8" />China will send its first civilian astronaut into space on Tuesday (May 30) as part of a crewed mission to the Tiangong space station, the China Manned Space Agency announced on Monday. Until now, all Chinese astronauts sent into space have been part of the People's Liberation Army (PLA). And the news to send the first civilian astronaut into space comes as China has invested billions of dollars into its military-run space programme, trying to catch up with the United States and Russia after years of belatedly matching their milestones.</p>

<h2><strong>Who is the civilian astronaut?</strong></h2>

<p>Gui Haichao, a professor at the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics is China's first civilian to be sent into space. Addressing a press conference on Monday, China Manned Space Agency Spokesperson Lin Xiqiang said that Professor Haichao would mainly be responsible for the on-orbit operation of space science experimental payloads, the news agency AFP reported.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Haichao's university said that he hails from an ordinary family in western Yunnan province. In a social media post, the university said Haichao "first felt the attraction of aerospace" listening to the news of China's first man in space, Yang Liwei, on campus radio in 2003.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>The mission and China's 'space dream'</strong></h2>

<p>As per state media, the commander of this mission is Major General Jing Haipeng, and the third crew member is engineer Zhu Yangzhu. The Manned Space Agency said the astronauts would take off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China on Tuesday at 9:31 am (0131 GMT).&nbsp;</p>

<p>Under Chinese President Xi Jinping, the country's plans for a "space dream" have been put into overdrive. China is planning to build a base on the Moon and the National Space Administration said it aims to launch a crewed lunar mission by 2029.</p>

<p>AFP reported on Monday that the final module of the T-shaped Tiangong successfully docked with the core structure last year. State news agency Xinhua reported that the station carries a number of pieces of cutting-edge science equipment, including "the world's first space-based cold atomic clock system".</p>

<p>Once finished, Tiangong is expected to remain in low Earth orbit at between 400 and 450 kilometres (250 and 280 miles) above the planet for at least a decade. It would be constantly crewed by rotating teams of three astronauts, who will conduct scientific experiments and help test new technologies.</p>

<p><em><strong>(With inputs from agencies)</strong></em></p>

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China will send its first civilian astronaut into space on Tuesday (May 30) as part of a crewed mission to the Tiangong space station, the China Manned Space Agency announced on Monday.

China will send its first civilian astronaut into space on Tuesday (May 30) as part of a crewed mission to the Tiangong space station, the China Manned Space Agency announced on Monday. Until now, all Chinese astronauts sent into space have been part of the People's Liberation Army (PLA). And the news to send the first civilian astronaut into space comes as China has invested billions of dollars into its military-run space programme, trying to catch up with the United States and Russia after years of belatedly matching their milestones. Who is the civilian astronaut? Gui Haichao, a professor at the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics is China's first civilian to be sent into space. Addressing a press conference on Monday, China Manned Space Agency Spokesperson Lin Xiqiang said that Professor Haichao would mainly be responsible for the on-orbit operation of space science experimental payloads, the news agency AFP reported. Haichao's university said that he hails from an ordinary family in western Yunnan province. In a social media post, the university said Haichao "first felt the attraction of aerospace" listening to the news of China's first man in space, Yang Liwei, on campus radio in 2003. The mission and China's 'space dream' As per state media, the commander of this mission is Major General Jing Haipeng, and the third crew member is engineer Zhu Yangzhu. The Manned Space Agency said the astronauts would take off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China on Tuesday at 9:31 am (0131 GMT). Under Chinese President Xi Jinping, the country's plans for a "space dream" have been put into overdrive. China is planning to build a base on the Moon and the National Space Administration said it aims to launch a crewed lunar mission by 2029. AFP reported on Monday that the final module of the T-shaped Tiangong successfully docked with the core structure last year. State news agency Xinhua reported that the station carries a number of pieces of cutting-edge science equipment, including "the world's first space-based cold atomic clock system". Once finished, Tiangong is expected to remain in low Earth orbit at between 400 and 450 kilometres (250 and 280 miles) above the planet for at least a decade. It would be constantly crewed by rotating teams of three astronauts, who will conduct scientific experiments and help test new technologies. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

China to send first civilian into space on Tuesday. Know who he is

<p>Chinese astronauts Cai Xuzhe and Chen Dong carried out a spacewalk on Saturday (September 17) from a new station called Tiangong which will be completed by the end of this year.</p>

<p>According to China's Xinhua News Agency, the astronauts installed a foot-stop to fix an astronaut’s feet to a robotic arm, a handle to open the hatch door from outside in an emergency and pumps at the station lab module Wentian.</p>

<p>Because China's military runs the country’s space programme, Beijing is building its own space station after being excluded by the US&nbsp;from the International Space Station.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Shenzhou-14 taikonauts conducted the 2nd spacewalk on Saturday. Astronaut Cai Xuzhe successfully opened the door of the space station lab module Wentian at 1:35 pm: China Manned Space Agency <a href="https://t.co/F51YqUYWWS">pic.twitter.com/F51YqUYWWS</a></p>
— Zhang Meifang张美芳 (@CGMeifangZhang) <a href="https://twitter.com/CGMeifangZhang/status/1571051165936406529?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 17, 2022</a></blockquote>
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<p>In an echo of the US-Soviet rivalry that prompted the race to the moon in the 1960s, American officials see a host of strategic challenges from China’s space ambitions.</p>

<p>During a six-month mission, that will oversee the completion of the space station Tiangong, the astronauts will ensure that it looks similar to the Soviet Mir station that orbited Earth from the 1980s until 2001.</p>

<p>Expected to operate for at least a decade, Tiangong's core module entered orbit early last year post the return of the last one to earth in April following 183 days on the space station.</p>

<p>China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) reported that the country's heavily promoted space programme has already seen the nation land a rover on Mars and send probes to the Moon.<br />
&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>

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Chinese astronauts Cai Xuzhe and Chen Dong carried out a spacewalk on Saturday (September 17) from a new station called Tiangong which will be completed by the end of this year.

Chinese astronauts Cai Xuzhe and Chen Dong carried out a spacewalk on Saturday (September 17) from a new station called Tiangong which will be completed by the end of this year. According to China's Xinhua News Agency, the astronauts installed a foot-stop to fix an astronaut’s feet to a robotic arm, a handle to open the hatch door from outside in an emergency and pumps at the station lab module Wentian. Because China's military runs the country’s space programme, Beijing is building its own space station after being excluded by the US from the International Space Station. Shenzhou-14 taikonauts conducted the 2nd spacewalk on Saturday. Astronaut Cai Xuzhe successfully opened the door of the space station lab module Wentian at 1:35 pm: China Manned Space Agency pic.twitter.com/F51YqUYWWS — Zhang Meifang张美芳 (@CGMeifangZhang) September 17, 2022 × In an echo of the US-Soviet rivalry that prompted the race to the moon in the 1960s, American officials see a host of strategic challenges from China’s space ambitions. During a six-month mission, that will oversee the completion of the space station Tiangong, the astronauts will ensure that it looks similar to the Soviet Mir station that orbited Earth from the 1980s until 2001. Expected to operate for at least a decade, Tiangong's core module entered orbit early last year post the return of the last one to earth in April following 183 days on the space station. China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) reported that the country's heavily promoted space programme has already seen the nation land a rover on Mars and send probes to the Moon. (With inputs from agencies) Watch WION's live TV here: ×

Chinese astronauts Cai Xuzhe, Chen Dong carry out spacewalk from new station

Three Chinese astronauts returned to earth on Saturday after 183 days in space, state television reported, completing the country's longest crewed space mission to date. Here are ten things you should know.

10 things about China's recent space mission