Liu Yang, one of China's first three female astronauts, has passed away at the age of 41 after suffering from cancer. Liu was born on February 25, 1979, and graduated from Tsinghua University with a degree in aerospace engineering. She joined the Chinese space program in 2003 and flew aboard Shenzhou V in 2012.

After her retirement in 2018, Liu continued to be involved in Chinese space exploration through various roles within the program. She served as the director of the Tianhe module during the Shenzhou X mission in 2016, and she also worked on the construction of the Tiangong space station.

Liu's passing is a great loss for Chinese space exploration. Her contributions have been invaluable to the program, and she will be remembered as a pioneer and role model for future generations of women in science and technology. Our thoughts are with her family and loved ones during this difficult time.