Wang Yaping
Wang Yaping is a Chinese military transport pilot and taikonaut who became China's second woman in space and the first Chinese woman to perform a . Her two missions connected early Tiangong laboratory outreach with long-duration station operations.
- Born
- January 1, 1980
- Died
- N/A
- Birthplace
- Yantai, Shandong,China
Flights
2
Spacewalks
1
EVA time
6 hours, 25 minutes
In space
197 days, 1 minute
Bio
Wang served as a People's Liberation Army Air Force transport pilot before selection to China's second astronaut group in 2010. Her aviation background and public communication role made her a prominent figure in China's human spaceflight program.
On Shenzhou 10 in 2013, Wang flew to Tiangong-1 with Nie Haisheng and Zhang Xiaoguang. She delivered a televised science lesson from orbit, helping turn the mission into a national education event as well as a spacecraft and laboratory operation.
Wang returned to space on Shenzhou 13 with Zhai Zhigang and Ye Guangfu. She spent about six months aboard Tiangong, performed China's first EVA by a woman, and set a cumulative-duration record for a Chinese woman in space.