First Hong Kong Astronaut Li Jiaying Launches to Tiangong Space Station on Shenzhou-23 Mission
A Hong Kong astronaut has achieved orbit for the first time, with police officer Li Jiaying, 43, part of the three-member crew that docked with China's Tiangong space station on Sunday evening.
Serving as payload scientist, Li’s mission on the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft marks a development in China’s assertive space programme, which aims to land humans on the Moon by 2030. This initiative places it in direct competition with US lunar ambitions, targeting a crewed landing by 2028.
One astronaut from the Shenzhou-23 crew is slated to spend a full year in orbit, an experiment designed to push the boundaries of long-duration space habitation, nearing the 14-month record set by Russian cosmonaut Valery Polyakov in 1995. The mission will conduct extensive research, including the effects of microgravity on the human body.
The Long March 2-F rocket launched from the Gobi desert, witnessed by crowds waving Chinese flags. Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee hailed Li’s inclusion as a “historic” event. Li herself invoked the pioneering spirit of Yang Liwei, China's first person in space, stating, “How high our Chinese spacecraft flies, that’s how high we can hold our heads high.”
Analysts suggest that such narratives are deployed to foster patriotism within Hong Kong, particularly among younger generations. China's escalating space activities include the recent retrieval of rock samples from the Moon's far side by the Chang'e-6 craft and a forthcoming orbital test flight for the Mengzhou spacecraft, designed for lunar crew transport.
