China’s First Female Astronaut Joins Tiangong Crew

Three astronauts, including China only female spaceflight engineer, successfully entered the Tiangong space station after an early morning launch.

The Shenzhou-19 mission lifted off at 4:27 AM from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China, as reported by Xinhua and state broadcaster CCTV.

The crew docked with the space station at 12:51 PM, reuniting with the Shenzhou-18 astronauts to begin a new phase of in-orbit crew handover.

The new team will conduct a series of experiments to support the ambitious goal of landing astronauts on the Moon by 2030 and eventually establishing a lunar base.

Like everyone else, I dream of visiting the space station, Wang expressed at a media event on Tuesday, flanked by her fellow crew members.

I aim to fulfill every task meticulously and safeguard our home in space.

I also aspire to journey into deep space and wave at the stars.”

The space agency declared the launch a “complete success” after the spaceship separated from the rocket and entered its designated orbit about 10 minutes post-takeoff.

Xinhua later reported that the spacecraft achieved a swift, automated rendezvous and docking with the front port of the space station’s core module.

Cai Xuzhe leads the team, which is scheduled to return to Earth in late April or early May of next year.

Cai, a 48-year-old former air force pilot with previous experience aboard Tiangong during the Shenzhou-14 mission in 2022, expressed his feelings about the mission.

“Being selected for this new crew, taking on a new role, and facing new tasks and challenges fills me with a sense of honor and great responsibility.”

Completing the crew is 34-year-old Song Lingdong.

The new and previous crew members will collaborate for about five days to finalize planned tasks and the transition process, as noted by the CMSA.

The Shenzhou-18 crew is expected to return to Earth on November 4.