China space mission prepares for lift-off with first non-PLA astronaut
- The Shenzhou 16 is expected to launch on Tuesday with a payload specialist from Beihang University among the crew
- Until now, only members of the People’s Liberation Army have been selected for the front line of the country’s ambitious programme
Gui Haichao, a 36-year-old payload specialist with Beihang University in Beijing, said he had long dreamed of moving his “beloved research work” into space. He will join Major General Jing Haipeng – who will be on his fourth mission – with aerospace engineer Zhu Yangzhu completing the crew.
“When I learned China was recruiting the first cohort of payload specialists in 2018, I applied without hesitation,” said Gui, from the southwestern Chinese province of Yunnan.
“As China’s first payload specialist to enter space, I felt very lucky and happy. The new role in space missions and new opportunities in space science came true, thanks to the new stage of the Chinese space station.”
Gui said he would be mainly responsible for the management and maintenance of the payload, while operating equipment and control conditions for experiments, as well as data collection, organisation and analysis.