Deng Qingming

Summary

Deng Qingming (Chinese: 邓清明; pinyin: Dèng Qīngmíng; born 16 March 1966) is a Chinese People's Liberation Army Astronaut Corps (PLAAC) taikonaut selected as part of the Shenzhou program.

Deng Qingming
邓清明
Deng in November 2022
Born (1966-03-16) 16 March 1966 (age 58)
StatusActive
NationalityChina Chinese
Space career
PLAAC astronaut
Previous occupation
PLAAF fighter pilot
Time in space
186 days, 7 hours and 25 minutes
SelectionChinese Group 1[1]
MissionsShenzhou 15
Chinese name
Simplified Chinese邓清明
Traditional Chinese鄧清明

Early life edit

He was born into a family of farming background in the Yihuang County, Jiangxi, on 16 March 1966.[2] He is the eldest of five children in the family.[2]

Career edit

A fighter pilot in the People's Liberation Army Air Force, he was selected to be an astronaut in 1998.

He was announced as a backup member of Shenzhou 9, Shenzhou 10, Shenzhou 11 and Shenzhou 12 before finally being selected as one of the three crew members of Shenzhou 15. After 24 years of training,[3] in November 2022 he successfully blasted off on the mission to the Tiangong space station, where he stayed for 183 days before returning to Earth in June 2023.[4]

Personal life edit

His daughter was born in 1991 and now works in the Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Center.[2]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Taikonaut Biography: Deng Qingming". 27 June 2018. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  2. ^ a b c Zhan Kang (占康) (2002). 邓清明:守得云开见月明 [Deng Qingming: watching the clouds open and seeing the moonlight]. Celebrities' Biographies (in Chinese). 608. Zhengzhou, Henan: Henan Literature and Art Publishing House: 10–14. ISSN 1002-6282.
  3. ^ https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3201290/chinese-astronaut-deng-qingming-finally-fulfils-dream-travelling-space-after-near-25-year-wait
  4. ^ https://www.thestar.com.my/aseanplus/aseanplus-news/2023/06/04/three-chinese-astronauts-from-shenzhou-15-return-safely-to-earth