List of Chinese astronauts

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 April 2024^[update], twenty-two Chinese nationals have traveled in space.

Astronauts

Flown

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-April 30, 2024)
Ye Guangfu	叶光富		Shenzhou 13 (October 15, 2021–April 16, 2022) Shenzhou 18 (April 25, 2024–present)
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–April 30, 2024)
Jiang Xinlin	蒋新林		Shenzhou 17 (October 26, 2023–April 30, 2024)
Li Cong	李聪		Shenzhou 18 (April 25, 2024–present)
Li Guangsu	李广苏		Shenzhou 18 (April 25, 2024–present)

By selection group

Shuguang Group (May 1970)

Group 1

October 1996

January 1998

Group 2 (March 2010)^[8][9]

Group 3 (October 2020)^[10]

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.

Group 4 (October 2022)^[11]

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.

See also

• Chinese women in space
• Chinese American astronauts
  • Taylor Wang
  • Franklin Chang-Díaz
  • Leroy Chiao
  • Ed Lu
• List of astronauts
• List of astronauts by selection
  • Shuguang Group 1970 list
  • China Group 1996 list
  • Chinese Group 1 list

References

This page was last edited on 29 May 2024, at 11:58