Commander Cai gears up for his record-breaking mission

Senior Colonel Cai Xuzhe, commander of the Shenzhou XIX mission, said he has been looking forward to returning to the Tiangong space station since his last orbital journey, during which he helped complete the massive outpost.

"I clearly remember that right before we left Tiangong with our Shenzhou XIV spaceship, I lingered a while to visit every corner of the space station. I am very familiar with them," the astronaut said. "When we arrived at Tiangong, it only had the Tianhe core module, and by the time we finished our mission, it consisted of three permanent components that established its current T-shaped configuration. It is fair to say we witnessed the completion of the space station."

Cai said that in the days after he came back to Earth, he often thought about flying to orbit again, which motivated him to train hard and make all-out efforts to prepare for his next spaceflight.

When he takes off with Shenzhou XIX mission, he will have participated in two spaceflights in a span of only 22 months, a new record among Chinese astronauts.

Senior Colonel Tang Hongbo is the current record holder, with two spaceflights in a 25-month interval between the Shenzhou XII and Shenzhou XVII missions.

Long-held aspiration

Born in May 1976 to a farmer's family in Caizhang village in Shenzhou, Hebei province, Cai started hearing stories about communist revolutionaries when he was just 3 years old from his grandfather, a devoted communist who joined the Party during wartime.

Cai said that he admired one of his uncles, who was a People's Liberation Army soldier, and told the uncle that he wished to join the military as well.

There was an Air Force base nearby, and many combat aircraft often flew over Cai's family home. Each time he heard the thundering sounds of the planes roaring by, he would run outside and gaze up at them until they were out of sight.

The aircraft instilled in him a desire to fly, an aspiration he clung to as he grew older. He was a diligent student and strived to do well in school in order to achieve his dream.

When he was in high school, Cai managed to come up with enough money to subscribe to a monthly magazine called China Air Force and read each issue painstakingly. He made up his mind to try his best to join the military and become a combat aviator.

During his senior year, he heard that the Air Force was recruiting students to learn how to fly. He immediately applied for selection.

Following rounds of strict tests and selection procedures, the young man was admitted to the Aviation University of Air Force at age 19 and began to learn to fly at the university's branch in Baoding, Hebei.

At the flight school, Cai trained hard and was honored upon graduation for his outstanding performance.

After receiving his diploma, the aviator was assigned to a flight training base, where he gradually became a veteran pilot and decorated flight trainer.

During his years at the base, he accumulated a total of 1,523 hours of flight time in fighter jets and was promoted to first-grade pilot.

In the spring of 2009, Cai heard about the selection of the country's second generation of astronauts and decided to take part in the initial recruitment that began in May that year.

Due to his good scores in the physical, knowledge and skills examinations, he was one of seven people selected to join that crop of astronauts in May 2010.

Shenzhou selection

When they arrived at the PLA Astronaut Division in northwestern Beijing, Cai and his peers were exposed to nearly 100 subjects they needed to be well-versed in as part of their training, including physics, astronomy, astronautics, space medicine and spacecraft operations.

He spared no efforts to acquire new knowledge and skills to prepare himself for a chance to join a spaceflight.

After waiting nine years, Cai was picked in December 2019 for the Shenzhou XIV mission and started undergoing training specially designed for the flight.

In June 2022, together with mission commander Chen Dong and Liu Yang, Cai embarked on his first space expedition and entered the Tiangong space station. They spent six months working inside the colossal base.

During their orbital stay, the Shenzhou XIV crew, dubbed "the busiest team" by many Chinese fans at the time, oversaw the arrival and docking of two large science lab modules — Wentian and Mengtian — and assembled experimental apparatuses inside them.

The astronauts conducted three spacewalks to install and fine-tune equipment and perform extravehicular rescue drills.

At the end of their mission, Cai and his teammates were joined by the three astronauts in the Shenzhou XV flight, who arrived in late November 2022. Their meeting was the first time that as many as six Chinese people were traveling in orbit at the same time, and was also the first in-orbit gathering between two Chinese crews.

After handing over the Tiangong's control to the newcomers, the Shenzhou XIV crew flew back to Earth in early December 2022.

Memorable experience

Recalling his experience in space, Cai said that during his downtime, he was able to enjoy his personal hobbies, including gardening and reading.

"I brought seeds of lettuce, wheat and tomato and planted them inside the space station. That is why people saw many video clips of me taking care of those plants," the astronaut said. "I also brought some books. I thought about bringing an e-book, but I dropped that idea because I prefer printed copies. Moreover, I brought some movies and TV series to Tiangong, and I watched them while doing exercise."

He also enjoyed peering down at Earth, which gave him a sense of home and belonging.

"Whenever we had spare time, we liked to take some time to look at our mother planet and other beautiful scenes in the universe. Watching through the windows always made me feel comfortable," he recalled.

Back on the ground, Cai spent half a year in quarantine and participating in recuperation programs, which are standard procedures for Chinese astronauts returning from space, and restarted regular training.

Speaking about the Shenzhou XIX mission, the commander said his team has worked very hard to prepare for the challenges awaiting them in orbit.

"We are scheduled to carry out several spacewalks to mount shield devices that will protect the space station from the impact of space debris," Cai said. "We are fully ready with our minds, bodies and skills for this coming mission, and we have the confidence, determination and ability to make it a success."

zhaolei@chinadaily.com.cn