Interstellar veteran Jing Haipeng set to lead Shenzhou XVI team to orbiting Tiangong station

Major General Jing Haipeng, one of the first generation of Chinese astronauts, is an indisputable record-holder in China in terms of spaceflight experiences — he is the first Chinese person to return to space and the first to travel three times into orbit.

On Tuesday, he will become the first to carry out a fourth space journey through the coming Shenzhou XVI mission. He will also be a crew commander for the third time.

Born to a poor family in a village in Shanxi province's Yuncheng city, Jing is the first child of his farmer parents and has a brother and a sister.

Seeing his parents toiling day and night to raise their children, Jing studied very hard at school in the hope of going to university to get the family out of poverty and make his parents happy.

Jing recalled that because of the family's hardships, he never bought a single meal at middle school and lived on dry food and salted vegetables he brought on foot from home twice a week.

"The hard life had not only given me the guts to face difficulties and challenges, but also inspired me to pursue my dream," he said.

In his fourth year at middle school, the youngster saw in a pictorial some People's Liberation Army Air Force pilots training in their fighter jets.

"They were in aviator jackets and looked pretty cool. I wished I could be like them and become a fighter jet pilot safeguarding our motherland's blue skies," Jing said.

The opportunity soon came in March 1985 when officers from the PLA Air Force came to his school to recruit flight students. The young man applied and took part in the selection process.

Three months later, he was admitted to an Air Force flight college in Baoding, Hebei province.

After five and a half years of intense training, Jing had impressed his instructors and graduated, and was designated to a fighter jet unit at the age of 24.

"Soon after I began to serve in the unit, one of my comrades died in flight training. He played basketball with us the day before the tragedy and left forever the next day. I was very sad but I understood that from the first day we became a military member and a pilot, we should all be dedicated to the nation and must get ready for possible sacrifices," the astronaut recalled.

"I always told myself that top aviators only come from those who train the hardest."

In the years in the fighter jet unit, Jing accumulated more than 1,200 hours of flight time and was recognized as a good pilot.

In the summer of 1996, Jing was told by his commander to undergo physical examinations at a sanatorium in Zhejiang province without knowing the reason.

He soon learned that the body check was part of the selection for China's first astronauts.

Seasoned traveler

After rounds of tough tests, Jing stood out among some 1,500 peers and was picked as one of the founding members of the PLA Astronaut Division in January 1998.

Jing and his colleagues in the division were supposed to receive and pass nearly 100 training subjects in five years including physics, astronautics, astronomy, space medicine as well as spacecraft operations.

"Each of us was likely to be 'eliminated' at any time if we failed tests, which were very difficult and demanding," he said.

"During my first 10 years at the division, I spent almost all of my time studying and training. I rarely went to bed before midnight because I was aware that I was racing against time to turn myself into a qualified astronaut."

In 2005, Jing was selected as a backup crew member on the Shenzhou VI mission.

Three years later, he was chosen to be a formal member of the Shenzhou VII flight team.

In September 2008, the Shenzhou VII crew — Zhai Zhigang, Liu Boming and Jing — completed China's third manned spaceflight in their three-day orbital trip. During the mission, Jing assisted Zhai and Liu who made the country's first spacewalk.

In June 2012, Jing was named commander of the Shenzhou IX mission and embarked on his second spaceflight with two fellow astronauts — Liu Yang, who became the first Chinese woman in space through this mission, and Liu Wang.

The Shenzhou IX crew carried out the first astronaut-controlled docking between two spacecraft. They were the first Chinese astronauts to move into another spaceship in orbit.

In October 2016, Jing took part in his third space journey — on the Shenzhou XI — with Chen Dong. The pair flew 33 days in space, including 30 days onboard the Tiangong II experimental space station, performing the longest space mission by Chinese astronauts by that time.

During the monthlong flight, Jing and Chen conducted 38 scientific and technological assignments, ranging from running a trial on a robotic arm in-orbit to observing microgravity's effects on the cardiovascular system.

During this mission, they would become the first Chinese astronauts to run in space, because one task was to test a specially designed treadmill inside the Tiangong II.

"We were supposed to test the equipment's performance and obtain exercise data, because running in a weightless environment could only be done in space," Jing said.

"But as it was the first time for any Chinese astronaut to use a treadmill in space, Chen and I failed many times because we couldn't get used to the new machine."

After a long time trying, the two finally discovered some "tricks" and accumulated experience doing physical exercise that has been proved useful in following long-term orbital missions, he noted.

"During our video link with President Xi Jinping, I reported to him that China's manned space program 'has reached a new height' and we were proud of our great motherland," Jing said.

Aspiration for flight

"Each time I returned to Earth, people asked me the same question, 'Do you want to fly again?' My answer was always the same, 'I desperately want to go into space again!'" the veteran astronaut recalled.

Jing said he and his colleagues are aware that manned spaceflights are a glorious cause that is worth risking their lives for the pursuit of exploration and pioneering.

"You will know why spaceflight is deemed an adventurous cause when you are surrounded by the thunder of rocket engines. Nevertheless, this cause is one that we are willing to use our lives to pursue," he said.

"For me, I have been awarded many honors by the people and the Party. I was given an August 1 Medal by President Xi and also elected as a delegate to the Party's 19th National Congress. I think the best way for me to repay the debt I owe this nation is to try to carry out every assignment to the best of my abilities," Jing said.

He added that Chinese astronauts who have been in space share the same feeling.

"The farther we flew away from Earth, the nearer our hearts and thoughts were to the motherland. Each time we flew across China, our heartbeat would accelerate and our eyes would focus on our territories and seas.

"We want to thank all the scientists, engineers and workers who paved the way for our flights. Hundreds of thousands of them spent numerous days and nights designing, producing and testing rockets, spacecraft and equipment. They are also heroes and heroines," Jing said.