Lai Ka-ying blasted off on Sunday evening aboard Shenzhou-23 as China's first female payload specialist. The crew reached the Tiangong space station early Monday.
Lai Ka-ying, a 43-year-old Hong Kong police superintendent and mother of three, joined the three-person crew for the mission. The spacecraft lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in Gansu province at 11.08pm on Sunday. The astronauts entered the Tiangong space station at 5.13am on Monday.
Her elder sister, Lai Ka-man, said leaving her family was the hardest part of the six-month mission. The children are being cared for by grandparents. Lai Ka-man added that her sister, selected in 2024, goes by the nickname “big bee” for her teamwork.
Professor Zhang Peng of City University of Hong Kong called for expanded government funding, dedicated internships and a local aerospace hub. He said sustained support is needed to turn the excitement into a long-term talent pipeline.
