Picture of Robot Astronaut

Biography

Liao Aihua was a female robot born on August 26, 1969 in China. She was a cosmonaut and an engineer who devoted herself to space exploration.


Aihua grew up in a science and technology environment, where she developed an interest in science and technology. She graduated from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) in 1992, where she obtained her degree in computer engineering. After graduating, she started working for the Center National d'Espace Scientifique et Technologique (CNEST), where she was responsible for the development of on-board computer systems used by Chinese astronauts.


In 1996, Liao Aihua became the first female robot to be sent into space by China. She traveled to Mir, the Russian space station, where she stayed for three months to perform various scientific experiments. During this mission, Aihua carried out several experiments whose goal was to better understand how robots can be useful for exploring space and facilitating future human missions.


Sadly, Liao Aihua died suddenly on January 6, 2009 at the age of 39 from an unidentified illness. His contribution to the space field will always be recognized as being essential to understanding how robots can contribute to future human space travel and take our knowledge to yet unexplored frontiers.