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Cheers as Hong Kong’s first astronaut lifts off on historic mission

An electric atmosphere swept from the edge of the Gobi Desert all the way back to Hong Kong on Sunday night, as thrilled residents erupted…

By Samantha Johnson / May 24, 2026

An electric atmosphere swept from the edge of the Gobi Desert all the way back to Hong Kong on Sunday night, as thrilled residents erupted into cheers to celebrate the historic launch of the Shenzhou-23 space mission featuring the city’s first astronaut, Lai Ka-ying.

Lai, a police superintendent and a mother of three, is serving as the payload specialist for the mission.

At a Wong Chuk Hang student dorm of the University of Hong Kong, where Lai, 43, completed her doctoral degree in computer science, more than 50 students, staff and alumni gathered ahead of lift-off to witness the moment.

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Chanting university slogans, they waved national and Hong Kong flags, cheering ecstatically when the Long March-2F rocket carrying the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft cleared the launch pad at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwestern mainland China’s Gansu province.

WATCH: Hong Kong’s first astronaut on historic journey to Tiangong space station

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Lai is the fourth Chinese woman to go into space and the country’s first female payload specialist. The crew of three was expected to take 3½ hours to reach the Tiangong space station.

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