First Hong Kong astronaut launches into space onboard Chinese mission

Hong Kong has sent its first astronaut into space as part of China's Shenzhou-23 mission to the Tiangong space station. Li Jiaying, a 43-year-old police officer and mother of three, is serving as the payload scientist on the three-member crew. The mission launched Sunday night from the Gobi Desert and docked with the space station a few hours later. One crew member will spend a full year in orbit for a key experiment, with the decision to be made later. This mission is part of China's ambitious space program, aiming for a lunar landing by 2030, and involves experiments studying the effects of microgravity on the human body.

Hong Kong's first astronaut, Lai Ka-ying, has successfully launched into space as part of China's Shenzhou-23 mission. The Long March-2F rocket carrying the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in Gansu province on Sunday night at 11:08 PM local time. Mission control declared the launch a success approximately 20 minutes after liftoff. Lai Ka-ying, a Hong Kong police superintendent and tech specialist, is serving as the payload specialist on this mission. His initial words from space to the command centre were "feeling good."

Hongkongers gathered in Jiuquan, China, to witness the send-off ceremony for the Shenzhou-23 mission on Sunday night. They expressed their admiration for Lai Ka-ying, Hong Kong's first astronaut, calling her an "immense encouragement." Lai, a 43-year-old police superintendent and mother of three, is the payload specialist for the mission. She, along with astronauts Zhu Yangzhu and Zhang Zhiyuan, were cheered at the Wentian Pavilion in Dongfeng Aerospace City before proceeding to the launch site in the Gobi Desert. The mission will see the crew travel aboard China's Tiangong space station.