On June 16, Ji Qiming, assistant to the director of the China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO), announced that the mission headquarters decided to launch the Shenzhou-12 manned spaceship at 9:22 a.m. on June 17, Beijing Time. Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming, and Tang Hongbo will carry out the Shenzhou-12 manned spaceflight mission, and Nie Haisheng will be the commander.

Astronaut Tang Hongbo, one of the three crew members of the Shenzhou-12 manned spacecraft, is from Xiangtan City, Hunan Province. He will make the maiden flight. He was selected as member of the second group of astronauts in China in May 2010 and will be the first Hunan-born astronaut to fly into space.

Tang Hongbo, male, Han nationality, is a native of Xiangtan City, Hunan Province. He is a member of the Communist Party of China with a master’s degree. He was born in October 1975, enlisted in the army in September 1995, joined the Communist Party of China in April 1997, and is currently a second-level astronaut of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army astronaut group, with the rank of senior colonel. He used to serve as the captain of a regiment of a division of the Chinese Air Force, and flew safely for 1,159 hours, and was rated as a first-class pilot of the Air Force. In May 2010, he was selected as member of the second group of astronauts in China. In May 2016, he was selected as a backup astronaut for the Shenzhou-11 mission. In December 2019, he was selected into the Shenzhou-12 mission crew.

This article is from Hunan Provincial Government www.enghunan.gov.cn.

Translator: Yu Jiangjiang

Chinese source: hunan.gov.cn