China will send its first civilian astronaut into space as part of a crewed mission to the Tiangong space station on Tuesday, the country's Manned Space Agency said. "Payload expert Gui Haichao is a professor at Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics," China Manned Space Agency Spokesperson Lin Xiqiang told reporters Monday. Gui will be "mainly responsible for the on-orbit operation of space science experimental payloads", Lin said. They are set to take off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China on Tuesday at 9:31am (0131 GMT), the Manned Space Agency said. China is also planning to build a base on the Moon and the country's National Space Administration said it aims to launch a crewed lunar mission by 2029.

Source: Dhaka Tribune May 29, 2023 09:56 UTC