Beijing, March 1. China will “soon begin the process of selecting foreign astronauts” for missions to China’s space station, according to an official with China’s space mission program.
“We will soon start selecting international astronauts to send to our space station to conduct joint scientific experiments,” said Chen Shanguang, deputy chief designer of China’s manned space program, adding that “the arrival at the station Chinese spacecraft first requires familiarization with our country’s ships”.
Chen, quoted by state broadcaster CGTN on Thursday, expressed his hope that “foreign astronauts who come to the Chinese space station will learn more about our culture” and that “cultural exchanges between astronauts from different countries can promote progress.” mutual”.
This adaptation to Chinese culture extends to language, Chen said in statements collected by the China Daily newspaper in which he said, “The working language on the International Space Station is English. In the same way, the language that will be spoken in a Chinese Station, it will be Chinese”.
The expert, who indicated that “Chinese instructors could train astronauts from other countries in China”, said that “many countries have offered to select and send astronauts” to participate in these missions.
In the Chinese space station, called Tiangong, which means “Heavenly Palace” in Mandarin, some experiments selected by international organizations such as the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs have already been carried out, although for now only Chinese astronauts set foot in it.
Tiangong is expected to operate for about 15 years in orbit about 400 kilometers above the Earth’s surface.
By 2024, it will likely become the world’s only space station if the International Space Station, a US-led initiative to which China does not have access due to military ties to its space program, takes its place. retired that year as planned.
In recent years, the Chinese space program has achieved successes such as the landing of the Chang’e 4 probe on the far side of the Moon – the first time it has been achieved – and reaching Mars for the first time, becoming the third country – after the United States United States and the former Soviet Union – to land. EFE
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