Arabic version: أول رائد فضاء من هونغ كونغ ينطلق إلى الفضاء في مهمة صينية

Li Jiaying, a 43-year-old police officer and mother of three, has become Hong Kong’s first astronaut to venture into space. She was launched aboard China’s Shenzhou-23 spacecraft as part of a three-member crew heading to the Tiangong space station. This historic mission took place on Sunday night, with Li serving as the payload scientist.

According to BBC News, at least one crew member will spend a full year in orbit for a key experiment, although authorities have yet to determine who that will be. The Shenzhou-23 mission is part of China’s broader ambitions to send humans to the moon by 2030, competing with the United States, which aims for a crewed lunar landing by 2028.

The launch occurred from the north-west Gobi desert using the Long March 2-F rocket. Large crowds gathered to wave Chinese flags as the rocket lifted off at 23:08 local time (15:08 GMT). A few hours later, the spacecraft docked with the Tiangong space station.

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee hailed the mission as a “historic” moment. Li Jiaying expressed her inspiration from Yang Liwei, China’s first astronaut, stating, “This is a rare chance. Why not try?”

This mission marks a significant milestone in China’s space exploration efforts, showcasing its growing expertise in long-duration stays in space. The upcoming year-long stay will push both human and hardware capabilities, moving beyond the shorter missions of the past. Since 2021, China has been sending astronauts to the Tiangong space station for six-month stays, and this mission is set to expand its experience in deep space exploration.