China to send 3 male astronauts to its space station in June
A three-man crew of astronauts will blast off in June for a three-month mission on Chinas new space station, according to a space official who was the countrys first astronaut in orbit.
The plans for the stations first crew were confirmed to state television by Yang Liwei, the manned space programs deputy chief designer, as an automated spacecraft was launched with fuel and supplies for the Tianhe station. The Tianhe, or Heavenly Harmony, is the third and largest space station launched by Chinas increasingly ambitious space program. Its core module was launched into orbit April 29.
The Shenzhou 12 capsule carrying the crew will be launched from the Jiuquan base in Chinas northwest next month, Yang said in comments broadcast Saturday by China Central Television.
They will practice spacewalks and conduct repairs and maintenance as well as scientific operations.
Yang, who orbited Earth in 2003, gave no details of the astronauts identities or a flight date and said the crew will come from the programs two earliest groups of astronauts.
Asked whether women would be in the crew, Yang said, on Shenzhou 12 we dont have them, but missions after that all will have them. The Tianzhou-2 spacecraft that docked with Tianhe on Sunday carried 6.8 tons of cargo including space suits, food and equipment for the astronauts and fuel for the station, according to the space program.
The space agency plans a total of 11 launches through the end of next year to deliver two more modules for the 70-ton station, supplies and the crew.
Beijing doesnt participate in the International Space Station, largely due to U.S. objections. Washington is wary of the Chinese programs secrecy and its military connections.
China has sent 11 astronauts, including two women, into space beginning with Yangs flight in October 2003. The first female astronaut was Liu Yang in 2012.
All of Chinas astronauts to date have been pilots from the ruling Communist Partys military wing, the Peoples Liberation Army.
Astronauts on the Tianhe will practice making spacewalks with two people outside the hull at one time, according to Yang. Chinas first spacewalk was made in 2008 by Zhai Zhigang outside the Shenzhou 7 capsule.
Also this month, the Chinese space program landed a probe, the Tianwen-1, on Mars carrying a rover, the Zhurong.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Federal staff and is auto-published from a syndicated feed.)