China Radio International reported on May 23 that according to the China Manned Space Engineering Office, the Shenzhou 16 manned spacecraft and the Long March 2 F Yao 16 carrier rocket combination were transferred to the launch area on the 22nd, and it is planned to launch at an appropriate time in the near future.

On May 22, the Shenzhou 16 manned spacecraft and the Long March 2 F Yao 16 carrier rocket combination were on the way to transport. (Source: Xinhua News Agency)

According to the 2023 China's manned space mission list, after the launch of Shenzhou 16 this month, Shenzhou 17 will be launched in October. During this period, there is a special focus of attention, that is, the third batch of Chinese astronauts will board the stage of the space station, and the astronauts of the Shenzhou 16th and 17th crews will appear for the first time, two types of personnel: flight engineers and payload experts.

The third batch of preparatory astronauts will complete the selection in 2020

According to the China Manned Space Engineering Office on October 1, 2020, the selection of the third batch of preparatory astronauts for my country's manned space engineering ended a few days ago. A total of 18 preparatory astronauts (including 1 female) were finally selected, including 7 space pilots, 7 space flight engineers and 4 payload experts. They will become new members of my country's astronaut team.

According to reports, in order to meet the needs of my country's space station engineering tasks, the third batch of reserve astronauts have added two categories of space flight engineers and payload experts on the basis of space pilots. Among them, space pilots and space flight engineers are mainly responsible for directly manipulating, managing spacecraft, and conducting related technical tests. Load experts are mainly responsible for the on-orbit operation of space science experimental loads.

Aerospace pilots are selected among the active pilots of the Air Force, aerospace flight engineers are selected among engineering and technical personnel engaged in aerospace engineering and related fields, and payload experts are selected among scientific researchers in the field of space scientific research and application of manned aerospace engineering.

It may welcome the "astronaut" who is not a pilot for the first time

At present, the crew of the flight crew carrying out the Shenzhou 16 mission has not been announced yet. According to analysis, it is highly likely that the three-person marshal will still be retained.

It is reported that since the successful launch of the "Shenwu Five", China has sent 16 and 26 astronauts to space by Shenzhou 15, and the first batch of 9 and the second batch of 7 astronauts have all been flying. It is expected that the 16th crew of the Shenzhou will still "lead the new with the old", led by the old generation of astronauts, and the third batch of astronauts will make their debut, which will be one of the biggest highlights of this mission.

If the astronauts in the 16th and 17th crew of the Shenzhou will appear for the first time, both flight engineers and payload experts will appear, it means that the first time "astronauts" from non-pilots will enter space to perform missions.

"Payload Expert" does not require a pilot background

According to reports, payload experts are a type of astronauts classified by missions, which refers to scientific researchers who conduct scientific and applied research and other experimental work in the space station. Simply put, payload experts are astronauts participating in space experimental operations. With the deepening of space science and technology activities, space science and technology activities are becoming more and more specialized, so load experts emerged. Load experts do not require pilot background, but must have professional training in science, medicine, engineering and other fields and have rich operating experience, and are mainly responsible for the operation of relevant experimental loads.

According to reports, different countries call astronauts participating in space experimental operations at different stages. For example, the United States is called "scientist astronauts" during the Apollo moon landing stage, and "payload experts" during the space shuttle stage; Russia is called "research astronauts" during the Mir space station stage, etc.

What are the requirements for selecting "Load Experts"

On October 2, 2022, the China Manned Space Engineering Office issued a message saying that in order to meet the needs of the follow-up flight mission of the manned space engineering, the selection of the fourth batch of preparatory astronauts in my country has been launched recently. A total of 12 to 14 preparatory astronauts were selected, including about 2 payload experts.

It is reported that the candidates for load experts need to have a PhD in relevant professional fields and have been engaged in relevant industries for at least 3 years, aged 30 to 45 years. Load experts also need to meet certain physical requirements. Men must be between 162 and 175 cm tall and women must be between 160 and 175 cm tall.