JIUQUAN, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- Cai Xuzhe has started his new space journey just 22 months after his first Shenzhou mission, breaking the record for the shortest interval between two spaceflights for a Chinese astronaut.
Cai is the commander of the Shenzhou-19 mission, which was launched at 4:27 a.m. Wednesday from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.
The crew members, also including first-timers Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze, will face new tasks and challenges during the mission, Cai told a press meeting on Tuesday ahead of the launch.
He said they had collaborated with sci-tech workers to update training concepts and improve training methods and efficiency in order to meet the requirements of the new mission.
Focusing particularly on the goal of achieving "zero error," the trio will improve operation quality and enhance in-orbit emergency response capabilities, Cai noted.
"We have been training as a team for more than a year, maintaining the best condition and the highest standards," Cai said, adding that they are fully prepared and have the confidence, determination and ability to successfully complete this mission.
Born in 1976 in the countryside of Shenzhou City, north China's Hebei Province, Cai was fascinated with airplanes as a child. Every time he heard a plane flying past, he would rush outside and stare up at the sky as it flew away and disappeared.
During his time in middle school, he idolized an air force commander and subscribed to the magazine China Air Force. Through its pages, he gained valuable knowledge about aviation and developed a keen appreciation for the art of piloting.
Cai was admitted to an air force flight college in his final year at school.
Upon graduation from college, he volunteered to work at an airport short of pilots. Despite the harsh conditions there, he dedicated himself to studying and training to sharpen his flying skills.
In 2003, China's first manned spaceflight, the Shenzhou-5 mission, was a resounding success. Sitting in front of the television, Cai was deeply attracted by the career of astronaut.
As soon as he learned that the country was selecting the second batch of astronauts, Cai submitted application and was successfully recruited in May 2010.
After arduous training and preparation for more than a decade, Cai had his moments. From June to December, 2022, he participated in the Shenzhou-14 space mission with colleagues Chen Dong and Liu Yang.
During the extravehicular activities that lasted about five-and-half hours in November, 2022, they installed an out-of-cabin "bridge" that links the core module of the Tiangong space station with the Wentian and Mengtian labs. Cai completed the first cross-module spacewalk through the bridge.
In his spare time in space, Cai was fond of overlooking at Earth through the porthole, especially when the space station flew over his hometown.
In March 2023, the trio were awarded medals for their service to China's space endeavors. Cai received a third-class medal and the honorary title of "Heroic Astronaut."
Back to Earth, the busy and fulfilling scenes of work and life in space were vivid in Cai's memory, and he had been craving another journey to space.
"I treat every spaceflight as my first one," he said. ■