Huang Weifen, chief designer of the Taikonaut System of the China Manned Space Program (CMS), unveiled progress in the recruiting of new taikonauts and preparation for future lunar missions in an exclusive interview with CGTN. 

Selection of the 4th taikonaut cohort underway

The selection of China's fourth cohort of taikonauts is underway and is proceeding smoothly, which includes three stages that could last for a long period.

"We are conducting the initial selection. This time, we will still choose candidates from pilots. But we are also recruiting space flight engineers from aerospace-related scientific and technical staff. And for the first time, we will select payload experts in Hong Kong and Macao," Huang said.

"In the past, we selected space pilots only from the air force. This time, we select them from the army, the navy and the air force. The process is going very smoothly," she added. 

The 3rd cohort training for upcoming missions

Huang said the third cohort of taikonauts includes 18 space pilots, engineers and payload experts.

They are receiving intensified training on their specialized knowledge and skills for the upcoming flight missions to the space station.

"After training for over a year, the taikonauts have met the standards for future missions to the space station," Huang said, adding she's confident in the taikonauts' physical and psychological qualities.

The training for space station manned missions began almost six years ago. So far, four crews of 12 taikonauts have participated in missions in the past two years. The three Shenzhou-15 taikonauts are now in orbit.

"Every time, when I saw them off at the launch sites, I was excited and a bit anxious and worried," the chief designer said. "But now, after the previous missions, I have become more relaxed and calmer."

Manned lunar missions planned

China unveiled the models of its new generation launch vehicle and manned moon craft in an exhibition on Friday at the National Museum in Beijing to mark the 30 years of the CMS.

In an earlier interview with CGTN at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, Huang said the taikonaut system is actively making relevant preparations for selecting and training taikonauts for future manned missions to the moon.

"We will need to analyze the differences of the missions to the moon and to the space station in terms of the taikonauts' physical and mental qualities, capabilities, knowledge and skills. This is the first and foremost thing for us," she said.

Efforts in the past 30 years 

The year 2022 marked the 30th anniversary of the founding of the CMS. For Huang and her colleagues, the path was not easy as they had almost no references from the beginning of the program and had to do everything on their own.

"We came a long way from nowhere to what we do now. Small becomes big. That's what we have been doing," she noted.

Looking back at the start, Huang attributes all the achievements to the hard work and devotion of everyone on the team.

"First, you need to be passionate about this cause, devote yourself to it, use your wisdom and hard efforts to solve problems one after another. You will always need to face new challenges, to overcome difficulties, and make down-to-earth efforts to gradually achieve what you want," she said.

The chief designer welcomes international cooperation and is grateful for the global attention to China's space achievements.

"For those who care and support the CMS, I want to take this opportunity to express my profound appreciation. Thank you so much. In fact, we are a big team, and taikonauts are the most distinct symbol of the manned space program. And we are so proud to be part of it and support them to realize the space dreams," Huang said.