Chinese astronaut Deng Qingming finally fulfils dream of travelling in space after near-25-year wait
- The 56-year-old had been a backup crew member four times before finally getting the chance to go into space on the Shenzhou 15 mission
- Deng and his two crewmates will spend the next six months on board the Tiangong space station
A Chinese astronaut who has waited for more than two decades will finally get his chance to go into space when Shenzhou 15 lifts off on Tuesday night.
Trained as a first-generation astronaut in 1998, Deng has never been in space but has been a backup crew member four times – for the Shenzhou 9, 10, 11 and 14 missions.
“Twenty-five years is a long journey. Every time I missed my chance [to go into space], I felt lost and sometimes I cried, but I’ve never hesitated or given up. As an astronaut, I can spend all my life getting ready for one opportunity, but I must be ready when the opportunity comes to me,” Deng told reporters on Monday.
Deng, a native of Jiangxi province, joined the air force after leaving school and trained as a pilot before being selected to join the space programme.
The Shenzhou 15 mission was scheduled to lift off at 11.08pm on Tuesday from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the Gobi Desert, Ji Qiming, from the China Manned Space Agency, said on Monday.
The three astronauts – Deng, mission commander Fei Junlong and Zhang Lu – will join the Shenzhou 14 crew to complete a week-long handover, and test the Tiangong’s ability to accommodate six people at once.
