Liu Yang

From Wiki China org cn
Liu Yang (刘洋)

Liu Yang (刘洋) is China's first female astronaut. She took part in the Shenzhou 9 mission in June 2012 as the the only female astronaut among the three-person crew onboard. The Shenzhou 9 spacecraft, atop an upgraded Long March-2F carrier rocket, was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China at 6:37 p.m. June 16, 2012 and returned to Earth around 10 a.m. on June 29.

Born in Henan Province in central China in 1978, Liu is an only child. In 1997, she enrolled at the Changchun Air Force Aviation College and became one of the first female air force pilots from Henan Province since the founding of the People’s Republic of China. In 2001, she was assigned to an air force aviation division in the Guangzhou Military Region, which is known as the "Cradle of female Pilots."

Liu holds the rank of Air Force Major. She has more than eleven years of aviation experience and is trained to pilot four types of aircraft.

In February 2015, Liu said that she has has become a mom and is undergoing training for her next mission