Who Is Wang Haoze? China's Only Woman Spaceflight Engineer Set For New Mission

A fresh crew of Chinese astronauts will be flying to the Tiangong space station as part of the Shenzhou-19 mission on October 30, Beijing officials announced. The China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) stated that the three scientists are set to blast off at 4:27 a.m. (20:27 GMT on October 29) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China. Among the crew is Wang Haoze, who is reportedly the country's only woman spaceflight engineer currently. 

China's Shenzhou-19 Mission

Wang Haoze, a senior engineer with the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation on her first mission, will be the third female Chinese national to fly to space, according to reports. The 34-year-old engineer is following in the footsteps of earlier women astronauts, Liu Yang and Wang Yaping.

"Like everyone else, I dream of going to the space station to have a look," Wang said in a media gathering on October 29, alongside the rest of the crew. "I want to meticulously complete each task and protect our home in space. I also want to travel in deep space and wave at the stars." 

The three-member crew, headed by Cai Xuzhe, will reportedly stay in space till late April or May 2025, CMSA Deputy Director Lin Xiqiang said. Cai, a 48-year-old former Air Force pilot, brings experience from a previous stint aboard Tiangong as part of the Shenzhou-14 mission in 2022.

The aerospace veteran added that the crew was now "fully prepared mentally, technically, physically and psychologically" for the Shenzhou-19 "dream" mission ahead. The third crew member is Song Lingdong, a 34-year-old astronaut making his debut in space. 

China has built plans to achieve its "space dream" under President Xi Jinping, CMSA announced. The Shenzhou-19 crew will carry out various experiments, including some involving "bricks" made from components imitating lunar soil, state broadcaster CCTV reported.