To boost their spirits before making history, three astronauts on the Shenzhou-23 mission, including Hong Kong's first crew member Lai Ka-ying, sang out on their way to the launch.
This followed the latest release of a video capturing the three-member crew heading to the launch pad after their send-off ceremony yesterday.
Sitting side by side in their spacesuits, Commander Zhu Yangzhu, pilot Zhang Zhiyuan, and payload specialist Lai Ka-ying were seen singing the patriotic anthem "Ode to the Motherland" inside the vehicle.
The trio then took the moment for pre-launch remarks, with Zhu first voicing gratitude to the nation and vowing to give their best.
Zhang followed, thanking everyone for their support, saying “We will not fail our mission.”
Beaming with excitement, Lai highlighted the enthusiasm from everyone and shouted in Cantonese: "Tiangong Space Station, here I come!"
The video concluded with an aerial shot of the convoy crossing the desert highway, with the caption: "Order received!"
The spacecraft carrying the three astronauts launched successfully at 11.08pm on Sunday from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. It is expected to conduct in-orbit rotation with the Shenzhou-21 crew and carry out a new phase of scientific research and routine operations.
