China has launched a civilian astronaut into orbit
China has launched a civilian astronaut into orbit
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Beijing: China has launched its first civilian astronaut into space, marking yet another historic first. Gui Haichao, a professor at the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, is the person in question.

He is a crew member of the Shenzhou 16 crewed mission to the Tiangong space station. Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the Chinese province of Gansu is where the launch took place earlier today.

So far, every Chinese astronaut has been a member of their nation's armed forces. China is sending a civilian to space for the first time with this mission.

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The Shenzhou 16 mission is evidence of China's expanding space exploration achievements. The nation has grand plans for the future, one of which is to conduct 3D printing experiments on the moon.

About 6.5 hours after launch, the Shenzhou 16 crew is predicted to arrive at the Tiangong space station.

Haichao, the first Chinese citizen to travel to space, is also an expert in payloads. On this mission, he is joined by two other astronauts.

The mission's commander is Jing Haipeng, and Zhu Yangzhu, an aerospace engineer, is the other astronaut.

Haipeng, who was a member of the first Chinese astronaut team in 1998, is making his fourth space flight with Shenzhou 16. Additionally, it is Yangzhu's first space mission.

Haichao will be in charge of managing the mission's science payloads while Yangzhu and Haipeng will take care of the spacecraft and assist with technical tests during their stay at the space station.

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While the public was very interested in Haichao's selection for the Shenzhou 16 mission, there were also discussions about the official photos where he was seen sporting glasses, an item that astronauts typically do not wear.

Many media outlets questioned how a person with imperfect vision could be approved for a space mission.

Yang Liwei, a senior official in China's manned space programme, responded by stating that different crew members required different qualifications due to the increasingly specialised nature of mission-related work.

The extensive training Haichao had to go through for the mission, which included sleep deprivation tests and underwater drills to develop operational skills, was also covered in a number of articles.

China's fifth crewed mission since 2021 to the recently built Tiangong space station is Shenzhou 16.

The Shenzhou 15 crew, who have been residing on the space station since November 2022, will be replaced by the Shenzhou 16 astronauts.

The next crew rotation, the Shenzhou 17 mission, will take place in November of this year, during which the astronauts will remain in space until then.

Regarding the Tiangong space station, its fundamental construction was just finished last year. At least ten years of operation are anticipated for the space outpost.

China intends to make the space station available to host experiments from other nations.

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Considering that the ISS is anticipated to cease operations in 2030, Tiangong may end up being the only outpost in space for scientific research.

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