Hong Kong excited about its first astronaut going to space

China

Hong Kong excited about its first astronaut going to space

2026-05-24 17:29 Last Updated At：05-25 01:07

Lai Ka-ying, the first astronaut from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) and a crew member of the Shenzhou-23 manned flight mission, has generated major excitement in the city.

Even before the official announcement of the astronauts going to space on the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft, one small detail had already fueled widespread speculation, the mission badge featuring the bauhinia flower, a symbol of Hong Kong.

Hong Kong SAR Chief Executive John Lee congratulated Lai on becoming a member of the country's fourth batch of astronauts Saturday, after the launch schedule was announced.

"I sincerely thank the country for its trust in Hong Kong SAR, and for its recognition and support of the city's innovation and technology community. I wish the Shenzhou-23 mission every success, as it continues to write a new chapter in China's space achievements," Lee said.

Lai will act as a payload specialist in the Shenzhou-23 mission. Before being selected, she worked in the Hong Kong Police Force. People back home are also hoping to see her operating the Multi Spectral Imaging Carbon Observatory (MUSICO), a piece of equipment designed in the city and already sent to the space station via the Tianzhou-10 cargo ship.

"I hope our homegrown Hong Kong taikonaut can operate this locally-led scientific payload, and leverage collected data to support China's dual-carbon goals and tackle climate change. We also expect her to capture precise imagery of the Guangdong-Hong Kong- Macao Greater Bay Area via our special camera," said Su Hui, leader of the MUSICO project.

Lai's journey into space is also encouraging more international researchers to base their space-related research efforts in Hong Kong.

"It's fantastic. And I think that's correct. It's the right decision, the right direction of travel - having a mixed diversity. I fundamentally believe that Hong Kong can act as a global space sustainability hub for China. Based in Hong Kong, under One Country, Two Systems give it some very strong and unique advantages," said Quentin Parker, director of the Lab for Space Research at the University of Hong Kong.

China launches Shenzhou-23 manned spaceship

China's Shenzhou-23 crewed spaceship blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the country's northwest on Sunday, sending three astronauts to its orbiting space station.

The spaceship, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, lifted off from the launch site at 23:08 Beijing Time (15:08 GMT).

The crew members consist of mission commander Zhu Yangzhu, and fellow astronauts Zhang Zhiyuan and Lai Ka-ying, who is also the first astronaut from China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

In another notable first, one of the crew members is set to undertake a year-long stay aboard the space station, double the usual duration of previous Shenzhou missions.

After entering orbit, the Shenzhou-23 spaceship will perform a fast automated rendezvous and docking with the radial port of the space station core module Tianhe, forming a combination of three modules and three spacecraft.

Shenzhou-23 marks the 40th flight of China's manned spaceflight program and the seventh manned flight mission since the Tiangong space station entered its application and development phase in late 2022.