First Civilian in Space
China has launched a rocket into space with three taikonauts on board, including the country’s first non-military civilian astronaut. The rocket for the Shenzhou-16 mission took off in the early morning from Jiuquan Space Center in the Gobi desert in northwestern China, and it is headed towards the Chinese space station “Tiangong” (“Heavenly Palace”).
One of the taikonauts, Gui Haichao, is a professor at the University of Aeronautics and Astronautics in Beijing, while the other two crew members are experienced taikonaut Jing Haipeng and engineer Zhu Yangzhu.
China’s Space Ambitions
China aims to become one of the world’s leading space-faring nations, investing billions of dollars into its space program. This mission marked the first crew replacement since the space station’s regular operations began earlier this year. The goal is for the Shenzhou-16 mission to stay in space for approximately five months, surpassing the previous record by nearly two months.
The mission demonstrates China’s desire to keep pace with Russia and the United States in space exploration, and shows significant progress towards becoming a major player in the field.