Zhai Zhigang
Zhai Zhigang is a Chinese military officer, taikonaut, and major general best known as the first Chinese citizen to perform a . His two missions mark important steps from China's early orbital program to long-duration Tiangong operations.
- Born
- October 11, 1966
- Died
- N/A
- Birthplace
- Longjiang County, Heilongjiang,China
Flights
2
Spacewalks
3
EVA time
12 hours, 58 minutes
In space
185 days, 5 hours, 59 minutes
Bio
Zhai trained as a People's Liberation Army Air Force fighter pilot before selection to China's first astronaut group in 1998. He was one of the early backup candidates during the period when China was preparing its first crewed missions.
On Shenzhou 7 in 2008, Zhai commanded China's first EVA demonstration. Wearing the Chinese Feitian suit, he exited the orbital module while Liu Boming assisted, proving a capability needed for later station construction.
Zhai returned to orbit as of Shenzhou 13, China's first six-month crewed station mission. With Wang Yaping and Ye Guangfu, he helped mature Tiangong operations, performed two more EVAs, and supported long-duration crew routines aboard the station.