Crewed Shenzhou-16 to launch today
THE Shenzhou-16 crewed spaceship is scheduled to be launched at 9:31am today from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, the China Manned Space Agency announced yesterday.
It will carry three astronauts — Jing Haipeng, Zhu Yangzhu and Gui Haichao — for the Shenzhou-16 spaceflight mission. Jing will be the commander, Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the CMSA, told a press conference.
Shenzhou-16 is the second flight mission of China’s manned space program this year, and the first crewed mission after China’s space station entered the application and development stage.
The crew will stay in orbit for about five months.
The launch will use a Long March2F carrier rocket, which will be filled with propellant soon, Lin said.
Jing, a senior spacecraft pilot, will become the country’s first taikonaut to go into space for the fourth time. He was involved in the Shenzhou-7 mission in 2008 and commanded the Shenzhou-9 and Shenzhou-11 crews in 2012 and 2016, respectively.
He has led the new crew in the preparation process. “After more than one year’s training together, we have tacit understanding of each other’s every expression, move and look,” said Jing.
Zhu and Gui are set to embark on their first trip to space. Born in 1986, they are members of China’s third batch of taikonauts, whose selection was completed by September 2020.
A former associate professor at a military university, Zhu will serve as a spaceflight engineer on the Shenzhou-16 mission. He will work with Jing to control and manage the spacecraft, and conduct technical tests.
Ahead of the launch of Shenzhou16, Zhu told the media that he was proud of his career shift and grateful for the new era, which allows hardworking people to have the opportunity to realize their dreams and values in life.
Gui, a spectacled professor at the Beijing-based Beihang University, will work as a payload expert, responsible for the in-orbit operations of science experiment payloads in the Tiangong space station. The 36-year-old taikonaut has rich experience in the fields of science and space engineering.
Addressing the public yesterday, Gui said he felt lucky to become China’s first civilian taikonaut in space. He also spoke about how his speciality will contribute to the goals of the upcoming mission.
Compared to previous crews, the Shenzhou-16 comprises a diverse trio of male astronauts from different career backgrounds, including aircraft pilot, flight engineer and payload specialist.
“This is the first crewed mission with the participation of three types of taikonauts,” Lin, the CMSA deputy director, said at the press conference.
Although the fresh crew has a 20year age gap, the three have worked together very well.
“We have gotten along like a family,” said Jing when the trio met the press yesterday.
The Shenzhou-16 crew will carry paintings by children from 10 African countries to the space station.
Jing pointed out that exploring the vast universe is the common cause of all humanity and a shared dream of all of society, regardless of race and age.
“We are willing to join hands with all peace-loving people to draw a
better blueprint together. This time, we are honored to carry our children’s best youth, friendship, and dreams into space. We should sow the seeds of science, friendship, and dreams on China’s space station and let them take root and blossom,” said Jing.
According to the CMSA, among China’s third batch of taikonauts, seven are spacecraft pilots, seven are flight engineers and four are payload experts. After more than two years of rigorous training, they have become capable of performing spaceflight tasks.
“All of them have started targeted training for the space station in the new stage and will become the backbones of the follow-up missions,” Lin revealed, adding that more new members will be selected to be space travelers in the future.