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 developed during the sixties, various proposals for crewed spacecraft were made. The first crewed spacecraft proposed by the People's Republic of China during the late 1960s and early 1970s was the Shuguang One which was expected to bring the first Chinese astronaut in 1973 into space.^[1] For this programme 19 astronauts were selected in 1971.^[1] However, shortly after these plans were made, several leading scientists attached to the project were denounced, bringing progress to a standstill.^[1] Instead, NASA astronaut Taylor Wang, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in China, became the first ethnically Chinese person in space in 1985.

The People's Liberation Army Astronaut Corps was established in 1998 for the selection of Shenzhou program astronauts.^[2] In 2003, Yang Liwei was launched aboard Shenzhou 5, becoming the first person sent into space by the Chinese space program.^[3] This achievement made China the third country to independently send humans into space. During the Shenzhou 7 mission in 2008, Zhai Zhigang became the first Chinese citizen to carry out a spacewalk.^[4] In 2012, Liu Yang became the first Chinese woman to be launched into space aboard Shenzhou 9 and also the first aboard a space station Tiangong-1.^[5] In 2021, Wang Yaping became the first Chinese woman to walk in space during the Shenzhou 13 mission.^[6]

As of April 2024, twenty-two Chinese nationals have traveled in space.

Shuguang Group (May 1970)

Group 1

October 1996

January 1998

Group 2 (March 2010)^[8][9]

Group 3 (October 2020)^[10]

China announced that 18 people, 17 men and 1 woman, had been selected as new astronauts. The positions were broken down as 7 spacecraft pilots ("aviators of the People's Liberation Army Air Force"), 7 flight engineers ("former researchers or technicians in aeronautics, astronautics and other related fields"), and 4 mission payload specialists ("those involved in space science and through applications for China's manned space program").

As of October 2023, only names of those selected to fly to space have been revealed.

Group 4 (October 2022)^[11]

China announced that 12 to 14 people are to be selected as new astronauts. The positions were broken down as 7-8 spacecraft pilots ("aviators of the People's Liberation Army Air Force") and 5-6 spaceflight engineers ("former researchers or technicians in aeronautics, astronautics and other related fields"). Up to two of the latter group will become payload specialists ("those involved in space science and through applications for China's manned space program"). Candidacy was extended to include Hong Kong and Macau.

On June 11, 2024 China announced 10 candidate astronauts, including 8 spacecraft pilots and 2 payload specialists from Hong Kong SAR and Macau SAR. Reports prior to this announcement revealed that Lai Ka-Ying of Hong Kong was one of the women selected in the fourth group.

• Chinese women in space
• Chinese American astronauts
  • Taylor Wang
  • Franklin Chang-Díaz
  • Leroy Chiao
  • Ed Lu
• List of astronauts
• List of astronauts by selection
  • Shuguang Group 1970 list
  • China Group 1996 list
  • Chinese Group 1 list