Chen Zhongrui

Chen Zhongrui (Chinese: 陈中瑞; born October 1984) is a Chinese People's Liberation Army Astronaut Corps (PLAAC) taikonaut selected as part of the Shenzhou program.

Chen Zhongrui
Born	October 1984 (age 40) Puyang, Henan, China
Status	Active
Nationality	Chinese
Space career
PLAAC astronaut
Previous occupation	PLAAF fighter pilot
Rank	, PLAGF
Time in space	101 days, 2 hours, 12 minutes (currently in space)
Selection	Chinese Group 3
Total EVAs	1
Total EVA time	6 hours, 29 minutes
Missions	Shenzhou 20

Biography

Born in Chendazhao Village, Hua County, Henan Province in October 1984. He has loved machinery since childhood and once dreamed of becoming a tractor driver. When he graduated from junior high school, he began to prepare for the Air Force pilot selection test. After passing the test, he entered the Air Force Changchun Flight Academy and was the first batch of flight trainees to fly solo. He began to dream of becoming an astronaut.

Astronaut career

In 2018, he participated in the third batch of astronaut selection and was selected in September 2020.^[1]

On April 24, 2025, Chen launched on the Shenzhou 20 mission to the Tiangong space station, where he is currently serving as operator.^[2][3]