China Launches First Hong Kong Astronaut Into Space

1. [para. 1][para. 2] China launched the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft late Sunday from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center using a Long March 2F rocket, with lift-off at 11:08 p.m. and entry into planned orbit about 20 minutes later. This mission sends the first Hong Kong astronaut into space.

2. [para. 3][para. 4][para. 5][para. 6] The three-person crew consists of commander Zhu Yangzhu, pilot Zhang Zhiyuan, and Hong Kong payload specialist Lai Ka-ying. Zhu, a former Shenzhou-16 astronaut, is the first commander from the flight-engineer ranks. Zhang, a former air-force fighter pilot, is on his first spaceflight. Lai, born in Hong Kong in November 1982, holds a doctorate in computer science and worked as an IT security specialist for the Hong Kong police. She entered the astronaut selection process in September 2022, trained from 2023, passed as a payload-specialist candidate in May 2024, and is China's fourth female astronaut and first from Hong Kong.

3. [para. 7][para. 8] According to spokesman Zhang Jingbo, Shenzhou-23 is the seventh crewed mission in the application phase of China's space station and the 40th human-spaceflight mission. After orbit, the spacecraft was to autonomously rendezvous and dock with the Tianhe core module's radial port in about 3.5 hours, creating the station's largest configuration.

4. [para. 9][para. 10][para. 11] The mission includes significant scientific experiments. One crew member will stay on the space station for up to a year for China's first human-research program, collecting health data. Over 100 projects will cover space life sciences (using zebrafish, mice, and stem-cell embryos) and materials science (preparing rare-earth magnets and high-entropy alloys). The crew replaces the Shenzhou-21 team, which has been in orbit over 200 days, and will perform spacewalks, cargo transfers, external payload work, and educational activities.

5. [para. 12][para. 13][para. 14] The launch was accelerated after a problem with Shenzhou-20, whose return capsule window cracked from suspected space debris damage. The Shenzhou-20 crew returned safely on Shenzhou-21, which served as a standby. To restore backup spacecraft capability, China launched its first emergency human-spaceflight mission on November 25, sending the uncrewed Shenzhou-22 with supplies and window-repair equipment. Shenzhou-23 was completed two months early and arrived at Jiuquan in January.

6. [para. 15][para. 16] At a Friday briefing, officials announced that two Pakistani astronauts are training with Chinese astronauts, with one expected to fly as a payload specialist on a short mission. China has merged crewed and uncrewed lunar exploration; the Long March 10 rocket and Mengzhou spacecraft have passed key tests. The Chang'e-7 probe is to launch in the second half of 2026 for a lunar south pole survey, supporting China's goal of a crewed moon landing before 2030.