HONG KONG (FN) — For the first time, a Hong Kong astronaut has launched into space, joining China’s Shenzhou-23 mission to the Tiangong space station.
Li Jiaying, a 43-year-old police officer and mother of three, serves as the payload scientist in the three-member crew that blasted off Sunday night from the Gobi Desert aboard a Long March 2-F rocket. Large crowds waved Chinese flags as the spacecraft lifted off at 23:08 local time before docking with Tiangong hours later.
Li’s inclusion marks a historic milestone for Hong Kong, with Chief Executive John Lee calling it “a proud moment.” Li herself said she was inspired by Yang Liwei, China’s first astronaut, and described the mission as “a rare chance.”
The crew also includes Zhu Yangzhu, a 39-year-old space engineer, and Zhang Zhiyuan, a 39-year-old former air force pilot. At least one of them will spend a full year in orbit, a duration that would rank among the longest in human spaceflight history, just short of the 14-month record set by Russian cosmonaut Valery Polyakov in 1995.
China’s space program has accelerated in recent years, with ambitions to land humans on the moon by 2030. The Shenzhou-23 mission will study the effects of microgravity on the human body, among other experiments, building expertise in long-duration spaceflight. Analysts say this is crucial preparation for deep space exploration.
The mission follows a string of achievements, including the Chang’e-6 probe’s recovery of rock samples from the far side of the moon in 2024 — the first time any nation has accomplished that. Later this year, China plans an orbital test of its Mengzhou spacecraft, designed to carry astronauts to the moon.
Stories like Li’s are seen as a way to inspire patriotism, especially among younger generations in Hong Kong and mainland China. “How high our Chinese spacecraft flies, that’s how high we can hold our heads high,” she said before launch.
China’s push mirrors a broader global race. The United States is aiming for a crewed lunar landing by 2028, while China has set its sights on 2030. Both nations are investing heavily in technology and missions that could define the next era of human space exploration.
