Deng Qingming, a Chinese taikonaut and native of Jiangxi province in East China, has served as a backup space crew member for 23 years. He continues to stand ready at his post, available to join a mission at any time, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Monday.
Wang Yaping, a 41-year-old female astronaut from Shandong province in East China, became the first Chinese woman to enter China's space station after the trio settled inside the Tianhe core module last week.
Ye Guangfu, a new face in China's Shenzhou-13 mission, will live and work in the country's space station, which is still under construction, with two other seasoned astronauts Zhai Zhigang and Wang Yaping for six months.
Wang Yaping will become the first female taikonaut to work in China's Tiangong space station as well as the first Chinese woman to perform a spacewalk.
