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Dannie Peng

Power grid engineering expert Li Licheng has signed a contract with a Chinese private commercial crewed space flight company, booking a seat on a space tourism voyage – at the age of 84.
Li, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, booked a seat on the inaugural flight, which will depart in 2028, according to a post on Beijing Interstellor Human Spaceflight Technology’s social media account on April 17.
The post said the signing “refreshed” the public’s preconceived notion of an age limit for space travel.
“I will go into space three times, once a year, and I’ll only be 89 years old after three trips into space,” the engineer was quoted as saying.
Li, director of the expert committee of China Southern Power Grid in the city of Guangzhou, is a leading figure in China’s electricity industry.
Born in July 1941 in the eastern province of Jiangsu, Li graduated from Tsinghua University in 1967 with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering.
After graduation, he went to Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu province in northwest China, to work in power construction in the remote and underdeveloped region.
He lived there for 16 years, gradually rising from frontline technician to chief engineer and deputy general manager of Gansu Power Transmission and Transformation Engineering Company.
Li has led and taken part in many of China’s mega power transmission projects over more than half a century of scientific research and practice.


His achievements also include leading the first ±500kV DC transmission project and the world’s first ±800kV ultra-high voltage DC transmission project.
He has received numerous awards for his contributions to the advancement of power grid technology and engineering in China, including the State Award for Scientific and Technological Progress.
Li is also a foreign member of the National Academy of Engineering (USA) and an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers life fellow.
Space tourism is the commercial activity of travelling to space for recreational purposes. The industry has taken off in recent years, with several companies offering seats on their spacecraft to the general public willing to pay a premium for the experience.
Blue Origin, an American space technology company headquartered in Kent, Washington state, for example, has sent 58 members of the public into space as of April 14, with the latest batch including American singer Katy Perry and five other women celebrities.


But China is lagging behind. Beijing Interstellor Human Spaceflight, which claims to be “China’s first commercial manned space flight technology company”, was established in January 2023.
The Beijing-based company said it aimed to provide low-cost transport of people and cargo for both national and commercial purposes. It added: “The plan is to first complete the development of a reusable suborbital spacecraft in three to four years, with the goal of achieving space tourism in China and Asia by 2028.”
In December, the Chinese start-up said its first ticket for a space trip was sold in November 2023, priced at 3 million yuan (US$412,500) with a 10 per cent reservation fee. Up to then, nearly 10 tickets had been pre-sold, with customers from around the world.


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Chinese scientist Li Licheng signs up for space travel aged 84

Li Licheng has booked a seat on a space flight in 2028. Photo: Handout

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China

The Chinese engineering expert plans to take three trips into space before his 89th birthday, proving it’s never too late to travel


The Chinese engineering expert plans to take three trips into space before his 89th birthday, proving it’s never too late to travel.


Chinese scientist Li Licheng signs up for space travel aged 84

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The Chinese engineering expert plans to take three trips into space before his 89th birthday, proving it’s never too late to travel

The Chinese engineering expert plans to take three trips into space before his 89th birthday, proving it’s never too late to travel