At the press conference of the Shenzhou 18 manned mission held on April 24, Lin Xiqiang, spokesman for the China Manned Space Project and deputy director of the China Manned Space Engineering Office, announced that the mission headquarters decided to launch the Shenzhou 18 manned spacecraft at 20:59 on April 25, Beijing time, and the flight crew was composed of astronauts Ye Guangfu, Li Cong, and Li Guangsu, with Ye Guangfu as the commander. Astronaut Ye Guangfu has carried out the Shenzhou-13 manned mission, and Li Cong and Li Guangsu are both the third batch of astronauts in the mainland, and they are both flying missions for the first time. All three are "post-80s".
At present, the preparations for the mission are progressing steadily, and the Long March-2F Yao-18 rocket for this launch mission is about to be filled with propellant.
April 24 is the ninth "China Space Day", 54 years ago, China's first artificial earth satellite, "Dongfanghong 1", was successfully launched at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. At 11 o'clock in the morning, the three astronauts will meet with Chinese and foreign media reporters at this important birthplace of China's aerospace industry and the spirit of "two bombs and one satellite."
Ye Guangfu's family
I wish the three astronauts a successful completion of their mission
On the 24th, Ye Guangfu's mother Liu Shaolin and sister Ye Yadan stayed in front of the TV early in the morning, and when they saw the news that the astronaut crew for the Shenzhou 18 manned mission was composed of three astronauts, Ye Guangfu, Li Cong, and Li Guangsu, and Ye Guangfu was the commander, they were extremely excited. Ye Yadan said, "I watched the news this morning and learned that my brother was very happy and excited after carrying out the Shenzhou 18 manned mission, and after more than two years, he was able to go to space again, and our whole family felt very honored and proud, and I wish the three astronauts all safe and smooth and successfully completed this space mission! Thank you very much for the selfless dedication of all astronauts." I wish the motherland's aerospace industry to a new level!"
↑On April 16, 2022, the return capsule of the Shenzhou-13 manned spacecraft successfully landed at the Dongfeng landing site. Source: CCTV News
Ye Guangfu, an astronaut from Tianfu New Area, Sichuan, flew to the vast space as an astronaut on the Shenzhou-13 manned space mission as early as October 2021. And at 9:56 on April 16, 2022, the return capsule of the Shenzhou-13 manned spacecraft successfully landed at the Dongfeng landing site!
On April 18, 2022, Ye Guangfu, who returned to Beijing Aerospace City and was carrying out follow-up recovery work as planned, sent a voice greeting to his hometown: Hello fellow villagers in my hometown, I am Ye Guangfu, an astronaut from Chengdu, who grew up in Tianfu New Area, Sichuan. The plan of the year lies in the spring, in this day of Vientiane renewal, I wish everyone a happy life, and the construction of the park city in my hometown is getting better and better!
On the morning of April 18, 2023, Ye Guangfu returned to the new area and attended the launching ceremony of the national defense education and the opening ceremony of the Aerospace Pavilion held in Wan'an Middle School in Tianfu New District, Sichuan, and sent a message to his alma mater and Wan'an students, wishing all students to have dreams in their hearts, have the courage to pursue their dreams, be diligent in realizing their dreams, cherish their youth, live up to their time, overcome obstacles on the journey to realize their dreams, depict the stars and seas with wisdom, and contribute more to the construction of the motherland. I also wish my alma mater to cultivate more talents for the development of my hometown and the prosperity of the country.
In July 2023, the 31st Summer Universiade (hereinafter referred to as the Chengdu Universiade) officially opened in Dong'an Lake Sports Park, Chengdu. Astronaut Ye Guangfu led the way, and together with 30 other torchbearers, they lit the cauldron tower of the Chengdu Universiade.
The Shenzhou-18 manned space flight mission is also the first time that Ye Guangfu has served as the commander and embarked on a journey to conquer space.
Source: Tianfu Release Editor: Wang Yifei
▶ This national-level training was held in Tianfu New Area