China’s first civilian female astronaut ‘never imagined’ she would voyage into space

Nuclear rocket scientist Wang Haoze has made history as the first civilian Chinese female astronaut, after she and the rest of the Shenzhou-19 spaceship crew blasted off on Wednesday morning on a mission to China’s Tiangong space station.

The journey is all the more remarkable for Wang, who thought she never would have had a chance for such an adventure.

“I was mainly responsible for preliminary research on new engines to develop future rockets for deep space exploration,” she told China’s state broadcaster CCTV on Tuesday.

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“I never imagined that as a space science and technology professional, I would have the chance to become an astronaut. When I came across the opportunity, I felt it was so precious and I signed up. It is incredible.”

Wang, 34, along with Shenzhou-19 Commander Cai Xuzhe, who took part in the Shenzhou-14 mission in 2022, and fellow first-time astronaut Song Lingdong, lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northeastern China’s Gobi Desert early Wednesday morning. They are expected to stay aboard the space station for six months to carry out scientific research and extravehicular activities.

Wang is the third Chinese woman on a crewed space flight, after Wang Yaping and Liu Yang, who both served as transport pilots in the People’s Liberation Army Air Force before becoming astronauts.

“My role has changed from a rocket engine designer to an aerospace engineer, but my commitment to serving the country through space exploration remains the same,” Wang told reporters on Tuesday at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwestern China.

“I have always dreamed of visiting the space station. I want to float around in our ‘space mansion’ and experience the joy of weightlessness. I aim to complete every mission with precision and protect our ‘cosmic home’. I would love to roam the vastness of space and wave to the stars,” she said.

Wang, who was born in the northern Chinese province of Hebei and is of Manchu descent, served as a senior engineer at the Academy of Aerospace Propulsion Technology under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, according to the China Manned Space Agency.

She designed nuclear-powered rocket engines, according to a paper seen by the South China Morning Post.

The paper, published in 2019, a year before Wang was selected for astronaut training, suggested an optimal engine system, noting that the “nuclear thermal rocket engine is considered an ideal power source for advanced space exploration”, and also discussed ways to improve engine impulse performance.

Wang was selected as part of China’s third batch of astronauts in 2020 and became the country’s only female space flight engineer.

Wang, who had no prior flying experience, said during her first centrifuge test, she struggled to breathe and felt as though her lungs were being torn apart. But after perseverance and continuous training, she was confirmed as a crew member of the Shenzhou-19 mission.

“Space docking is rather easy for pilots to grasp. But as an engineer, I found it challenging at the beginning,” she said. “After nearly a thousand training sessions, I can now meet the standards with every docking attempt.”

Wang said her experience as an engineer will help the team with troubleshooting during the mission.

“I [could help] communicate with ground technicians. When we face unexpected situations and need to unite our efforts, our experience and engineering backgrounds to solve problems, I can make a valuable contribution,” she said.

More from South China Morning Post:

• China to send youngest crew, including nuclear rocket scientist, to space station
• China’s next Tiangong space station residents will be its youngest crew ever
• China sends trio to Tiangong space station from Gobi desert launch as authorities declare 2030 moon landing on track
• China’s space programme targeted by ‘audacity’ of foreign agents, anti-spy agency warns

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