Chen Dong
Chen Dong is a Chinese fighter pilot and taikonaut who has flown three long-duration Shenzhou missions. By the Shenzhou 20 era, he had become one of China's most experienced crewed-spaceflight .
- Born
- December 12, 1978
- Died
- N/A
- Birthplace
- Luoyang, Henan,China
Flights
3
Spacewalks
6
EVA time
37 hours, 4 minutes
In space
418 days, 15 hours, 17 minutes
Bio
Chen served as a People's Liberation Army Air Force pilot before astronaut selection. China selected him in its second astronaut group in 2010, the same generation that carried the program from Tiangong-2 laboratory operations into the modular Tiangong station era.
He first flew Shenzhou 11 in 2016 to Tiangong-2, then commanded Shenzhou 14 in 2022 during assembly of the Tiangong . He returned as commander of Shenzhou 20 in 2025.
Shenzhou 20 became notable when suspected debris damage made its return unsafe for crewed . Chen, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie returned on Shenzhou 21 on November 14, 2025, while Shenzhou 20 later returned uncrewed.