The first female astronaut to travel in space was Valentina Tereshkova. Launched aboard Vostok 6 on June 16, 1963, she became the first woman to fly in space and orbited the Earth 48 times. Tereshkova's mission helped to gather data about the female body in space, and she remains a symbol of women's contributions to Aerospace exploration. Post-flight, she became a prominent political figure and advocate for women's rights in the Soviet Union.