Stuff Digital Edition

First civilian taikonaut heads for space station

China sent its first civilian astronaut into space when the Shenzhou spacecraft lifted off from a launch pad in the Gobi desert Tuesday, local time. On board was Gui Haichao, 36, a bespectacled professor who is the payload specialist in a crew of three bound for Tiangong, the Chinese space station. ‘‘It’s so cool to ride a rocket,’’ Gui said as he took off. Until now all Chinese astronauts – or taikonauts – have been military personnel from the People’s Liberation Army, but this mission has been heralded as beginning an era of space experiments by civilian researchers. The crew will overlap briefly with three now aboard the Tiangong station, who will then return to Earth after completing their six-month mission.

World

en-nz

2023-06-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

2023-06-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://fairfaxmedia.pressreader.com/article/281947432232427

Stuff Limited