The People's Liberation Army Astronaut Corps (PLAAC; ), also known as the Chinese Astronaut Corps (), is a
Beijing
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Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
-based sub-
corps
Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was first named as such in 1805. The size of a corps varies great ...
-level
(PLASSF) unit directly under the PLASSF Space Systems Department (PLASSF-SSD) and is responsible for the selection and training of
astronaut
An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft. Although generally r ...
s for
Project 921
The China Manned Space Program (CMS; ), also known as Project 921 () is a space program developed by the People's Republic of China and run by the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA), designed to develop and enhance human spaceflight capabilities f ...
, the Chinese manned space program.
History
In October 1992, a
-
PLAAF
The People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF; ), also known as the Chinese Air Force (中国空军) or the People's Air Force (人民空军), is an aerial service branch of the People's Liberation Army, the regular armed forces of the Pe ...
joint task force started the preliminary selection for astronauts; 1,506 pilots were identified and twelve were chosen as candidates.
The Astronaut Corps was established in January 1998 and the twelve along with two PLAAF trainees sent to
Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center
The Yuri A. Gagarin State Scientific Research-and-Testing Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC; Russian: Центр подготовки космонавтов имени Ю. А. Гагарина) is a Russian training facility responsible for train ...
in 1996 forms Chinese Group 1.
Seven pilots entered the Astronaut Corps in May 2010 as Group 2.
In 2014, Group 1 astronauts
Wu Jie
Wu Jie (; born October 1963) is a Chinese military pilot and taikonaut selected as part of the Shenzhou program.
Biography
Wu Jie was born in Zhengzhou, Henan province, China. In 1987 he graduated from the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PL ...
,
Li Qinglong
Li Qinglong (; born August 1962) is a Chinese pilot selected as part of the Shenzhou program.
Biography
Li Qinglong was born in Dingyuan, Anhui province, China. In 1987 he graduated from the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) Missile Co ...
,
Chen Quan
Chen Quan (; born December 1963) is a Chinese pilot selected as part of the Shenzhou program.
Chen was born in Suining, Sichuan, China.
He joined the People's Liberation Army Air Force and became a fighter interceptor pilot and later as a re ...
,
Zhao Chuandong, and
Pan Zhanchun retired from the Astronaut Corps due to age; none of them had flown in a mission.
The Astronaut Corps was part of the
General Armaments Department People's Liberation Army General Armaments Department (GAD; ) was founded in April 1998 and is in charge of equipping and arming the People's Liberation Army, as well as overseeing and improving military technology. It is one of the four "general de ...
until GAD was disbanded in January 2016.
As part of the
2015 military reform, it became part of the Strategic Support Force.
In January and March 2018,
China Manned Space Engineering Office
China Manned Space Agency or CMSA () is an agency of the People's Republic of China responsible for the administration of China Manned Space Program, the Chinese human spaceflight program.
Name
The native name of the organization (') was i ...
vice director, astronaut
Yang Liwei
Yang Liwei (; born 21 June 1965) is a major general, former military pilot, and former taikonaut at the People's Liberation Army.
In October 2003, Yang became the first person sent into space by the Chinese space program. This mission, Shenzh ...
stated that Group 3 selection was expected to begin in 2018 and would include engineers and mission specialists.
Yang also stated that Group 3 would include civilians from industry and research institutions.
See also
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List of Chinese astronauts
This is a list of Chinese astronauts, sometimes called taikonauts. The list includes people trained by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft.
As the Chinese space program dev ...
*
Canadian Astronaut Corps
The Canadian Astronaut Corps is a unit of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) that selects, trains, and provides astronauts as crew members for U.S. and Russian space missions. The corps has four active members, able to serve on the International Sp ...
*
European Astronaut Corps
The European Astronaut Corps is a unit of the European Space Agency (ESA) that selects, trains, and provides astronauts as crew members on U.S. and Russian space missions. The corps has 13 active members, able to serve on the International Space St ...
*
NASA Astronaut Corps
The NASA Astronaut Corps is a unit of the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) that selects, trains, and provides astronauts as crew members for U.S. and international space missions. It is based at Johnson Space Ce ...
*
List of astronauts by selection
This is a list of astronauts by year of selection: people selected to train for a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft. Until recently, astronauts were sponsored and trained exclusively by gover ...
*
Human spaceflight
Human spaceflight (also referred to as manned spaceflight or crewed spaceflight) is spaceflight with a crew or passengers aboard a spacecraft, often with the spacecraft being operated directly by the onboard human crew. Spacecraft can also be ...
*
History of spaceflight
Spaceflight began in the 20th century following theoretical and practical breakthroughs by Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, Robert H. Goddard, and Hermann Oberth. First successful large-scale rocket programs were initiated in the 1920s Germany by Frit ...
References
{{Authority control
1998 establishments in China
People's Liberation Army Strategic Support Force
Space units and formations
Space program of the People's Republic of China
Chinese astronauts
Military units and formations established in 1998