Wang Jie, a crew member for China's upcoming Shenzhou-20 spaceflight mission, has taken time to reflect on his journey to become an astronaut, as well as his anticipated duties during the mission.
Previously an engineer at the China Academy of Space Technology under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, Wang was selected as part of the third batch of astronauts in September 2020. He is now set to embark on his first spaceflight mission together with two other crewmembers, Chen Zhongrui and Commander Chen Dong.
Ahead of his first spaceflight, the 35-year-old astronaut pledged dedication to achieving the mission objectives while aboard the Chinese space station.
"I have this belief that once I decide to do something, I want to do it to the best of my ability. When I become an aerospace technician, I will perform well and design aircraft effectively. When I participated in the selection and became an astronaut, my belief was to do a good job as an astronaut. Being an astronaut requires a wide range of skills, knowledge, psychological resilience, professional expertise, operational ability, and political integrity, all of which place higher demands on us," Wang said.
Born in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of northern China, Wang hails from the same place where the Shenzhou-5 spacecraft landed on October 16, 2003. This flight marked a milestone for China's manned space program, making China the third country, after the Soviet Union and the United States, to send a man into space.
Upon learning the news as a middle school student, Wang decided to dedicate himself to China's manned space program.
After the college entrance exam, Wang decisively chose to major in Aircraft Manufacturing Engineering at Shenyang Aerospace University. Upon graduating, he continued his studies in mechanics at Beihang University. After earning his Ph.D., he joined the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, dedicating himself to the development of a new type of aircraft.
Just as he was immersed in technical research, an unexpected opportunity arose - he received a notice for astronaut selection.
"Because we are involved in manned spaceflight, and our work unit is a frontline team, and since I am the youngest in our research group, the leader recommended me for the selection. I participated in the selection with the mindset of giving it a try, but I didn't expect to pass the first test. I was also able to maintain a relatively stable mentality during the subsequent tests. I approached it with the belief that being selected would be a great opportunity, and then I could go to space. I feel lucky to be here after going through one test after another," said the astronaut.
With a background as a flight engineer, Wang is primarily responsible for operating and managing the spacecraft, as well as conducting related technical tests.
"I may mainly be responsible for materials management. As for the dual-person scientific experiment project, I read faster, so I will mainly assist the other two astronauts. They operate more quickly and skillfully than I do, so our skills complement each other, and we can back each other up. In addition to platform maintenance, we have many scientific experimental projects. The space station is built for scientific research, and these projects are essential and key to advancing scientific progress. This time, we have a lot of new scientific experiments, and we need to cooperate with ground personnel to complete them, hoping that they will yield good results and lead to practical applications," he said.
"We are ready, and we are looking forward to going to space. This time, the responsibility has been placed on our shoulders. I think it is a sense of duty. We hope to do our job well, manage the space station effectively, and successfully complete our experimental projects during the six months in space," said Wang.
The Shenzhou-20 crewed spaceship is scheduled to be launched at 17:17 Thursday (Beijing Time) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, the China Manned Space Agency announced at a press conference on Wednesday.
Shenzhou-20 is the 35th flight mission of China's manned space program, and the fifth crewed mission during the application and development stage of China's space station.
Shenzhou-20 crew member shares his experience graduating from flight engineer to astronaut
