Get to know the Shenzhou XVIII space crew

Ye Guangfu

Senior Colonel Ye Guangfu, 43, a first-grade astronaut, is the mission commander of the Shenzhou XVIII spaceflight, which is scheduled for launch on Thursday.

Ye, who is from Chengdu, Sichuan province, joined the People's Liberation Army in August 1998 and was assigned to a fighter jet regiment after graduation. He became a first-grade pilot at the combat unit.

In May 2010, Ye was selected as a member of the second group of astronauts for the PLA Astronaut Division. He took part in a survival training session in Italy in July 2016 that was organized by the European Space Agency, and was a member of the reserve crew for the Shenzhou XII mission.

Ye made his first journey into space in October 2021, on the six-month Shenzhou XIII mission, becoming a member of the second group of inhabitants of China's Tiangong space station.

In June 2022, Ye was given the honorary title "Heroic Astronaut "and awarded the Third-grade Space Service Medal.

Li Cong

Lieutenant Colonel Li Cong, 34, a fourth-grade astronaut, will be making his first spaceflight on Thursday.

Li, who is from Handan, Hebei province, joined the PLA in September 2009.

He was a second-grade pilot and deputy group commander of a PLA Air Force fighter jet brigade before being selected as a member of the third group of astronauts for the PLA Astronaut Division in September 2020.

Li Guangsu

Lieutenant Colonel Li Guangsu, 36, a fourth-grade astronaut, will be making his first spaceflight on Thursday.

Li, who is from Peixian county, Jiangsu province, joined the PLA in September 2006. He graduated from the Aviation University of Air Force.

Before he joined the PLA Astronaut Division's third group in September 2020, Li was a first-grade pilot and deputy group commander of a PLA Air Force fighter jet brigade.

Liu Shenshi contributed to this story.