On January 16, 2022, Liu Yang, the first Chinese woman astronaut and the only female crew member of Shenzhou XIII mission, passed away after suffering from a heart attack in Beijing. She was 41 years old.

Liu Yang was born on June 8, 1980, in Dalian, Liaoning Province, China. She graduated from Peking University with a degree in aerospace engineering. In 2003, she joined the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), where she worked as a research engineer for over 17 years.

In 2010, Liu Yang was selected as one of the six astronauts for the Shenzhou X mission, which was the first manned spaceflight by China. She became the first Chinese woman astronaut and the only female crew member of the mission. During the mission, Liu Yang performed several experiments and tasks, including taking photographs of the Earth and conducting experiments on microgravity.

After returning from her mission, Liu Yang continued to work at CASC. In 2015, she was promoted to deputy general manager of the company. In 2016, she was appointed as vice president of CASC.

Liu Yang was known for her dedication to her work and her passion for space exploration. She always put the safety of the crew above everything else and never missed any opportunity to learn more about space science. Her passing is a great loss to the Chinese space program and to the entire world. But we will remember her forever for her hard work and dedication to the cause of space exploration.

• Chinese
• Liu
• Yang
• First
• Woman