On October 30, China launched three astronauts to its Tiangong space station for the six-month Shenzhou 19 mission. Among the crew is 34-year-old Wang Haoze, China’s first female space flight engineer and the third woman to join the country’s astronaut program. Unlike her predecessors Liu Yang and Wang Yaping, who were trained as aircraft pilots, Wang comes from a strong engineering background.
Born in Luanping County, Hebei province, in 1990, Wang’s upbringing played a significant role in shaping her path. Her father was a police officer, and her mother, a self-taught secondary school teacher, inspired Wang to value education. Her mother’s perseverance in overcoming financial barriers to become a teacher motivated Wang to pursue her studies with determination.
Wang graduated with top grades from Southeast University in Nanjing, where she studied energy and power engineering. She went on to earn a master’s degree specializing in plasma detonation, a field she initially found intimidating. Recalling her uncertainty about the research, Wang remembered advice from her tutor: “You need to work hard even if you don’t enjoy what you’re doing, or you might lack the quality of perseverance even when you find a career you love.”
After completing her master’s degree in 2015, Wang joined the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation as a rocket engine designer. Her work focused on preliminary research for new engines, aimed at developing rockets for future deep space missions. Her talent and dedication led to her selection as an astronaut in 2020.
Wang’s physical endurance was honed during her university years, where she excelled in long-distance running. However, she found astronaut training to be a new level of challenge, especially when facing the centrifuge, which simulates the intense gravitational forces experienced during space travel. In her first session, Wang felt as though her lungs were being torn apart but resisted the urge to press the emergency alarm. “I could not be the first to make it ring,” she remarked, showcasing her strong resolve.
As a crew member on the Shenzhou 19 mission, Wang is tasked with advancing research on new rocket engines for deep space exploration. She expressed her excitement about the mission, stating, “We are walking on an untrodden road, but it is a road I love. If it is strewn with thorns, we will break a way through them. If it is bleak and desolate, we will have each other’s back.”
Wang’s journey from an engineering graduate to a pioneering astronaut highlights her resilience, dedication, and passion for exploring the unknown.
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