Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
China Set to Send First Crew to New Space Station Thursday
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 4 years ago on
June 16, 2021

Share

JIUQUAN, China — The three members of the first crew to be sent to China’s space station say they’re eager to get to work making their home for the next three months habitable, setting up testing and experiments and preparing for a series of spacewalks.

The three met with reporters Wednesday from inside a germ-free glassed-in room, hours before they were to blast off on Thursday morning.

“First of all, we need to arrange our home in the core module, then get started on a whole range of diagnostic tests on crucial technology and experiments,” said mission commander Nie Haisheng, 56, the most senior of the three who is making his third trip to space.

“The task is very arduous and there are many challenges. My colleagues and I will cooperate closely, operate carefully and overcome all difficulties,” Nie said.

Crew Discusses Expectations and Expresses Confidence in Mission

Unsurprisingly, all said they had complete confidence in the mission, which carries special political meaning for the ruling Communist Party as it prepares to celebrate its centenary next month.

Liu Boming, 54, whose one previous flight in 2008 included China’s first spacewalk, said there would be multiple such activities during the mission as the astronauts carry out their science experiments, conduct maintenance and prepare the Tianhe, or Heavenly Harmony, core module to receive two other modules to be sent up next year.

Tang Hongbo, 45, who is making his first flight since being selected among the second batch of astronauts in 2010, said he had been training virtually nonstop for years. “There is pressure,” Tang said. “But where there is pressure there is motivation and … I have confidence in myself and have confidence in our team.”

Thursday’s launch begins the first crewed space mission in five years for an increasingly ambitious space program. China has sent 11 astronauts into space since becoming the third country to so so on its own in 2003, and has sent orbiters and rovers to the moon and Mars.

The astronauts will be traveling in the Shenzhou-12 spaceship launched by a Long March-2F Y12 rocket set to blast off from the Jiuquan launch center in northwestern China.

While the first Tianhe crew are all men, women will be part of future crews, officials have said.

China’s International Space Cooperation Expected to Expand in Future

Beijing doesn’t participate in the International Space Station, largely due to U.S. concerns over the Chinese space program’s secrecy and its military connections. Despite that, foreign science missions and possibly foreign astronauts are expected to visit the Chinese station in the future, China Manned Space Agency Assistant Director Ji Qiming told reporters at Jiuquan.

“Outer space is the common wealth of people all over the world, and exploring the universe is the shared cause of all mankind,” Ji said.

“We are willing to carry out international cooperation and exchanges with all countries and regions worldwide that are committed to the peaceful use of outer space,” Ji said, adding that existing cooperation is being expanded with countries including Russia, Italy and Germany along with the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs.

“I believe that in the near future, when the Chinese space station is complete, we will see Chinese and foreign astronauts taking on joint missions to the Chinese space station,” Ji said.

Ji conceded the construction of the Chinese station had come “relatively late,” but said that was also an advantage because it allowed China to use the latest technologies and concepts, particularly in the areas of reliability and safety.

“Exploring the vast universe, developing space activities, building a powerful space nation is our unremitting space dream,” Ji said.

“The construction and operation of China’s space station will raise our technologies and accumulate experience for all the people. It is a positive contribution by China for human exploration of the universe, peaceful utilization of outer space and push forward the building of a community of shared future for mankind,” he said.

Several Missions Planned Through Next Year to Complete Station

The mission is the third of 11 planned through next year to add the additional sections to the station and send up crews and supplies. The main living section of the station was launched in April while the other two modules will be primarily for scientific work.

The mission builds on experience China gained from earlier operating two experimental space stations. It also landed a probe on Mars last month that carried a rover, the Zhurong, and earlier landed a probe and rover on the moon and brought back the first lunar samples by any country’s space program since the 1970s.

Once completed, the station will allow for stays of up to six months, similar to the much larger International Space Station.

All astronauts will have their own living area, and a stationary bike and other exercise equipment will allow them to counter some of the effects of weightlessness. They’ll also be able to bring personal items to remind them of home and stave off boredom while not working, Nie said.

The Chinese station reportedly is intended to be used for 15 years and may outlast the International Space Station, which is nearing the end of its functional lifespan.

The launch of Tianhe was considered a success although China was criticized for allowing the uncontrolled reentry to Earth of part of the rocket that carried it into space. Usually, discarded rocket stages reenter the atmosphere soon after liftoff, normally over water, and don’t go into orbit.

The rocket blasting off Thursday is of a different type, and Ji dismissed concerns about it or the models used for cargo missions posing a threat when they reenter. China published their trajectories and they are expected to burn up long before they could be a danger, he said.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Tigers Rally Past Giants to Complete Series Sweep

DON'T MISS

Trump Gives Harvard 30 Days to Contest End of International Student Enrollment

DON'T MISS

Republican Vote Against EV Mandate Felt Like an Attack on California, Democrats Say

DON'T MISS

Wall Street Gains After Court Blocks Most Trump Tariffs

DON'T MISS

The Pacific Coast Highway Is a Mythic Route Always in Need of Repair

DON'T MISS

Elon Musk Exiting Trump’s Team After Criticizing the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’

DON'T MISS

Tulare Student Will Compete in Scripps National Spelling Bee Finals

DON'T MISS

Federal Trade Court Blocks Trump From Imposing Sweeping Tariffs Under Emergency Powers Law

DON'T MISS

Why Did the California Senate Shunt a Cost-Cutting Housing Bill?

DON'T MISS

Fresno Teachers Call for Probe After Superintendent Orders Up Dossier Against Union

UP NEXT

Silence on E. Coli Outbreak Highlights How Trump Team’s Changes Undermine Food Safety

UP NEXT

Food Trucks in Gaza Raided, Underscoring Aid Distribution Problems

UP NEXT

US and Russia Clash in Public as the Ukraine War Heats Up

UP NEXT

Trump Pardons Tax Cheat After Mother Attends $1 Million Dinner

UP NEXT

Ireland to Press Ahead With Trade Ban on Israeli-Occupied Areas

UP NEXT

Palestinians Flock to US-Backed Aid Centers Despite Concern Over Checks

UP NEXT

Germany Threatens Steps Against Israel as Tone Shifts Over Gaza

UP NEXT

NPR Sues Trump Administration Over Executive Order to Cut Funding

UP NEXT

Far-Right Israelis Confront Palestinians, Other Israelis in Chaotic Jerusalem March

UP NEXT

Palestinians to Raise Flag at WHO for the First Time After Vote

Wall Street Gains After Court Blocks Most Trump Tariffs

45 minutes ago

The Pacific Coast Highway Is a Mythic Route Always in Need of Repair

59 minutes ago

Elon Musk Exiting Trump’s Team After Criticizing the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’

14 hours ago

Tulare Student Will Compete in Scripps National Spelling Bee Finals

15 hours ago

Federal Trade Court Blocks Trump From Imposing Sweeping Tariffs Under Emergency Powers Law

16 hours ago

Why Did the California Senate Shunt a Cost-Cutting Housing Bill?

16 hours ago

Fresno Teachers Call for Probe After Superintendent Orders Up Dossier Against Union

16 hours ago

US Court Blocks Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ Tariffs

16 hours ago

Rubio Says US Will Start Revoking Visas for Chinese Students

16 hours ago

CA Man’s 378-Year Sentence Overturned After Judge Rules Accuser May Have Made Up Charges

17 hours ago

Tigers Rally Past Giants to Complete Series Sweep

DETROIT — Justyn-Henry Malloy hit a go-ahead single in a four-run fifth inning to help the Detroit Tigers rally to beat the San Francisco Gi...

4 minutes ago

4 minutes ago

Tigers Rally Past Giants to Complete Series Sweep

Harvard University’s campus in Cambridge, Mass., Sept. 6, 2024. The Trump administration said on Monday, March 31, 2025, that it was reviewing roughly $9 billion in federal grants and contracts awarded to Harvard, accusing the school of allowing antisemitism to run unchecked on its campus. (Sophie Park/The New York Times)
17 minutes ago

Trump Gives Harvard 30 Days to Contest End of International Student Enrollment

FILE — Traffic on Highway 101 in Los Angeles, May 25, 2023. The Republicans with full control of politics in Washington, delivered a sharp rebuke to the state this week by blocking California’s landmark plan to phase out the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles. (Mark Abramson/The New York Times)
22 minutes ago

Republican Vote Against EV Mandate Felt Like an Attack on California, Democrats Say

Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., May 13, 2025. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo
45 minutes ago

Wall Street Gains After Court Blocks Most Trump Tariffs

Aerial view of the Pacific Coast Highway in Big Sur, California
59 minutes ago

The Pacific Coast Highway Is a Mythic Route Always in Need of Repair

Elon Musk listens as President Donald Trump speaks with reporters in the Oval Office at the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in Washington. (AP/Alex Brandon)
14 hours ago

Elon Musk Exiting Trump’s Team After Criticizing the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’

15 hours ago

Tulare Student Will Compete in Scripps National Spelling Bee Finals

16 hours ago

Federal Trade Court Blocks Trump From Imposing Sweeping Tariffs Under Emergency Powers Law

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend