Manned Space Agency of China announced Tuesday that it will launch its first civilian astronaut into space as part of a crewed mission to the Tiangong space station.
“Payload expert Gui Haichao is a professor at Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics,” said China Manned Space Agency Spokesperson Lin Xiqiang Monday.
Until now, all Chinese astronauts have been members of the People’s Liberation Army.
Gui will be “mainly responsible for the on-orbit operation of space science experimental payloads”, Lin said.
Jing Haipeng is the mission commander, and Zhu Yangzhu is the third crew member.
They are scheduled to launch from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China on Tuesday at 9.31 a.m. (0131 GMT), according to the Manned Space Agency. (https://prodavinci.com/)
Plans for China’s “space dream” have been accelerated under President Xi Jinping.
The world’s second-largest economy has poured billions of dollars into its military-run space program, with the goal of one-day transporting humans to the Moon.
After years of lagging behind the United States and Russia, Beijing is attempting to catch up finally.
China is likewise preparing to develop a lunar outpost, with the National Space Administration aiming to undertake a crewed lunar mission by 2029.
