Li Qinglong (simplified Chinese: 李庆龙; traditional Chinese: 李慶龍; pinyin: Lǐ Qìnglóng; born August 1962) is a Chinese pilot selected as part of the Shenzhou program.

Li Qinglong
李庆龙
Li Qinglong in 2010
BornAugust 1962 (age 62)[2]
Dingyuan, Anhui
StatusRetired
Space career
PLAAC astronaut
Previous occupation
PLAAF fighter pilot
SelectionChinese Group 1
Retirement2014 (2014) [1]

Biography

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Li Qinglong was born in Dingyuan, Anhui province, China. In 1987 he graduated from the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) Missile College and later the PLAAF Flight College. A fighter pilot in the PLAAF, he had accumulated 1230 flight-hours.[3][2]

In November 1996, Li Qinglong and Wu Jie started training at the Russian Yuri Gagarin Cosmonauts Training Center.[2] Along with the 12 candidates selected in 1998, they formed Group 1 of the People's Liberation Army Astronaut Corps.[4]

In January 2003 it was reported by a Hong Kong newspaper that Chen Long would make the first manned Shenzhou flight. Then in March 2003, it was reported that Li Qinglong would make the first manned flight. It was thought that "Chen Long" was a misspelling of "Qinglong", a fact confirmed by the newspaper a couple of days before the launch of Shenzhou 5, which was flown by Yang Liwei.[2][5]

Li Qinglong retired from the Astronaut Corps in 2014.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b Xue, Yanwen; Shan, Ruchao; Li, Xiaofan (2018-01-24). Yang, Ru (ed.). "中国航天员:矢志飞天 初心不改" [Chinese Astronauts: Dedicated to Space Flight, Remain True to Original Intention]. Xinhua News Agency. Archived from the original on November 12, 2018. Retrieved 2018-11-11.
  2. ^ a b c d "Li Qinglong". www.astronautix.com. Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on December 27, 2016. Retrieved 2016-12-27.
  3. ^ Becker, Joachim. "Taikonaut (yuhangyuan) Biography: Li Qinglong". www.spacefacts.de. Retrieved 2016-12-27.
  4. ^ Xi, Qixin; Fan, Juwein; Liu, Cheng (2003-10-17). Xu, Dongmei (ed.). "中国航天员诞生记" [Birth of Chinese Astronauts]. People's Daily. Xinhua. Archived from the original on 2012-05-20. Retrieved 2018-11-11.
  5. ^ "BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | China's first astronaut revealed". news.bbc.co.uk. 7 March 2003. Retrieved 2016-12-27.