Shenzhou-23 launches with Hong Kong's first astronaut

China launched its Shenzhou-23 spacecraft on Sunday with three astronauts, including the first from Hong Kong, on a mission to the Tiangong space station that features the country's first year-long orbital experiment as Beijing races to put humans on the moon by 2030. Li Jiaying, a 43-year-old former police superintendent and mother of three, serves as the payload specialist on the mission alongside commander Zhu Yangzhu and former air force pilot Zhang Zhiyuan, who are both 39 years old and debuting in space. The Long March 2-F rocket lifted off at 23:08 local time from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert, and the spacecraft successfully docked with Tiangong hours later, where it will join the existing crew of three astronauts currently aboard the station. The mission, the 40th flight of China's manned space program, will conduct over 100 scientific experiments spanning life sciences, materials, medicine, microgravity fluid physics, and new technologies, including studies with zebrafish embryos, mouse embryos, and stem cell-derived structures. One crew member will spend a full year in orbit as part of a key experiment designed to gather data on prolonged spaceflight, with authorities set to determine who that astronaut will be based on mission development. Richard de Grijs, an astrophysicist at Macquarie University in Australia, noted that a year in orbit represents a different operational regime compared to the shorter six-month stays China has conducted since 2021, demonstrating how the country is building expertise for long-duration stays and deep space exploration. Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee called Li's inclusion in the mission "historic," while Li said she was inspired by Yang Liwei, China's first astronaut, telling Xinhua news agency, "This is a rare chance. Why not try?" The mission comes amid an accelerating space race with the United States, which aims to achieve a crewed lunar landing by 2028. China plans to conduct an orbital test flight for its Mengzhou spacecraft, designed to carry astronauts to the moon, later this year, as part of its broader ambitions that include the Tiangong station and Chang'e lunar program.