Baku, October 26, AZERTAC

Chinese astronauts Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin will carry out the Shenzhou-17 manned spaceflight mission, with Tang Hongbo as the commander, Xinhua reports citing the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

The Shenzhou-17 crew has the youngest lineup since the construction of China's Tiangong space station started. It is also the first spaceflight team to consist of one veteran from China's second batch of astronauts and two space rookies from the third batch of astronauts.

The Shenzhou-17 crewed spaceship will be launched at 11:14 a.m. Thursday (Beijing Time) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the CMSA, said at a press conference.

After joining the second batch of Chinese astronauts in 2010, Tang Hongbo flew to space for the first time in the three-month Shenzhou-12 mission in June 2021, the first crewed mission for China's space station construction. He received a third-class medal and the honorary title "heroic astronaut" in November 2021.

As the commander of the Shenzhou-17 mission, Tang Hongbo will be the first astronaut to return to China's space station. He also set a new record for the shortest interval between two spaceflight missions by Chinese astronauts.

To return to the space station, Tang Hongbo completed his physical recovery and mental adjustment as quickly as possible, and underwent learning and training for the new mission at the same time. He was selected as a member of the Shenzhou-17 mission within a year of returning to Earth.

"I'm staying true to my mission to do a spaceflight for my country," he said at the press conference. "It never changes, and I have never slacked off."

The commander said he shared his flying experience without reservation and gave a rule of thumb to his crewmates: to err is human and therefore following the handbook closely is always the golden rule.

Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin are newcomers to space. They joined China's third batch of astronauts in September 2020.

Born in December 1989, Tang Shengjie is currently the youngest Chinese astronaut to carry out a space mission. He served in China's Air Force as a first-class pilot.

Born in a small village in northwest China's Gansu Province, he had to walk a long distance to school along a mountain road every day since he was six years old, and did so for eight years.

After graduating from high school, he entered China's Aviation University of Air Force and became a fighter pilot. In his nearly 13 years of service, he flew six types of aircraft.

From a young age, Tang Shengjie showed considerable hands-on ability. Villagers often asked him to repair their broken electrical appliances. These days, he has a particular talent for the professional skills training needed by astronauts. Every time there was an operational course, Tang Shengjie would feel very excited.

He enjoys photography very much, and is looking forward to watching beautiful planets from a different perspective in space and recording the wonders of the universe.