Huang Jingyu becomes one of the first space tourists, set to leave Earth in 2028 aboard a domestically built spacecraft.

(Beijing, 25th) China’s first commercial crewed spacecraft is expected to make its maiden flight in 2028. Reports claim that 33-year-old actor Johnny Huang Jingyu will be among the first Chinese paying passengers to travel to space. He has also reportedly been assigned a special designation—“Traveler No. 009”—a revelation that quickly sparked widespread online discussion.

According to Chinese media, Beijing Chuan Yue Zhe Crewed Spaceflight Technology Co., Ltd. (referred to as “Chuan Yue Zhe”) held a global space tourism launch event last Thursday (22nd), where it announced the first batch of Chinese space tourists, including Huang. Jimu News later quoted a company representative surnamed Du, saying Huang was selected due to his well-known “tough-guy” on-screen persona. Du also noted that Huang’s sci-fi mystery drama Dream of the Sea is related to space themes, aligning with the company’s branding.

The report said the “entry ticket” for the trip is priced at around RMB 3 million, and customers can reserve a seat with a 10% deposit. More than a dozen paying customers have already signed contracts, spanning academia, business, the aerospace sector, the arts, entertainment, and social media influencer circles.

Although Huang did not attend the press conference due to work commitments, he delivered a video message via the company’s official Weibo account, saying he felt honored to become a space traveler and looked forward to reaching the “sea of stars” aboard a Chinese-built spacecraft. He ended with: “Next stop—space.”

Huang is expected to fly in 2028 on the reusable crewed spacecraft “Chuan Yue Zhe One (CYZ1)” for a suborbital mission. The flight would cross the Kármán line—about 100 km above Earth—briefly entering the edge of space. Passengers would reportedly experience around 5–10 minutes of weightlessness and view Earth from a high-altitude, panoramic perspective. The full mission is said to last approximately 2.5 hours. Other reported passengers include 85-year-old Chinese Academy of Engineering academician Li Licheng, Zy Robot’s CMO Qiu Heng, and Qifu Capital chairman Fu Zhekuan.

Huang has built his career through action and “tough” roles in productions such as Operation Red Sea, The Thunder, and Punishment, earning him a tongue-in-cheek nickname online as a “professional soldier” of China’s entertainment industry. Fans joked that after portraying every “Earth-based unit,” he has now “upgraded to a cosmic unit.”

Off screen, Huang is also described as a Brazilian jiu-jitsu champion and a dedicated fitness enthusiast, giving him a strong physical foundation. Official remarks reportedly praised his calm temperament and fitness as highly compatible with the spirit of space exploration. However, he has previously experienced benign positional vertigo (an inner-ear condition) and has shown a fear of heights on variety shows. He is therefore expected to undergo rigorous training, including high-G centrifuge sessions, microgravity simulations, and psychological conditioning, to ensure he can withstand launch and flight stress.