Nie, who holds a masters degree, was born in September 1964.

He was recruited by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in June 1983 and joined the CPC in December 1986. Currently, he is a Major General and a Premium Astronaut of the PLA.

Nie served as a navigation director of a PLA Air Force division and a first-class pilot of the Air Force with 1,480 flight hours. He was selected to become one of China's first astronauts in January 1998.

In October 2005, Nie Haisheng successfully carried out the Shenzhou-6 space mission. In April 2013, Nie was selected to be a prime crew member of the Shenzhou-10 space mission.

(Xinhua News Agency June 4, 2013)