Contents
Astronaut
Yang Liwei
Famoose for
Becoming the first astronaut launched into space by China.
Orbital flight · Fourteen orbits
- Born
- 21 June 1965
- Birthplace
- Suizhong, Liaoning, China
More people
Yang Liwei
Yang Liwei flew the Shenzhou 5 mission in 2003, a milestone in China’s human-spaceflight programme.
Early life
Liaoning childhood
Grew up in Suizhong County.
Pilot training
Entered military flight training in 1983.
Career
- 1987 onward
Air force pilot
Flew military aircraft before astronaut selection.
- 1998
Astronaut corps
Joined China’s first astronaut group.
- 2003
Shenzhou 5
Completed China’s first crewed orbital mission.
Missions & contributions
Orbital flight
Spent about twenty-one hours in space.
Fourteen orbits
Completed multiple circuits of Earth before returning safely.
Space programme work
Continued in training and programme leadership roles.
Beyond spaceflight
Writing
Published an account of his experience in space.
Family
Married Zhang Yumei, whom he knew through military life.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗Photo: Dyor. CC BY-SA 3.0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
