CE wishes HK first astronaut a successful trip

Chief Executive John Lee held a video call with Hong Kong's first astronaut Lai Ka-ying to wish her success ahead of her historic space mission. Lai has been selected as a payload specialist for the Shenzhou-23 spaceflight mission, which is scheduled to launch at 11.08pm on Sunday. Lee was joined by Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Sun Dong and Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung in the video call. The CE expressed pride in Lai’s role in the national mission. "Your successful selection reflects the nation’s recognition of you, as well as its trust and support for Hong Kong," he said. Recalling their last meeting in 2024 just before Lai left for training on the mainland, Lee asked about her daily life at the training centre. Lai described her schedule as packed and the training truly demanding, but said she's ready for departure and confident in completing the mission. "I have never been away from Hong Kong for this long, so I look forward to coming back as soon as the mission is complete," she said. She also said her family is settling in well in Beijing, and her children are happy with their studies there. Sun noted that Lai completed the demanding training in just over a year and met the standards required for a space mission. Meanwhile, Yeung said that she believes Hong Kong’s more than 170,000 civil servants share a deep sense of pride and honour over Lai’s achievement. Edited by Edmond Fong