Hong Kong payload specialist Lai Ka-ying sends mid-autumn festival greetings from space

Hong Kong payload specialist Lai Ka-ying, who is currently participating in the Shenzhou-23 crewed spaceflight mission, delivered festive greetings to the people of Hong Kong for the Mid-Autumn Festival from the Tiangong space station.

Marking her first time celebrating the traditional holiday of reunion while orbiting the Earth, she noted that gazing at the moon from space and looking down upon the lights of countless households across the planet made her miss her family and friends back in Hong Kong all the more.

Educational exchanges strengthen ties with youth in Hong Kong and Macau 

The astronaut highlighted ongoing thematic outreach initiatives in Hong Kong and Macau dedicated to sharing national aerospace ambitions and revitalization. She recalled the earlier live space classroom conducted from Tiangong as an essential component of those efforts, describing it as both an invaluable transfer of knowledge and a memorable interactive bridge between the space station and young students in both special administrative regions.

Following that session, the crew received numerous heartfelt letters, drawings, and well-wishes sent by members of the public. Expressing deep gratitude for the support and concern shown by the community, she encouraged people to continue taking part in outreach activities to gain a broader understanding of national progress and aerospace achievements, while nurturing civic pride and contributing toward the development of the nation and the two regions.

Astronaut crew extends warm holiday wishes across the nation

Concluding her holiday address, the payload specialist wished citizens across the country good health and family happiness, while expressing hope that residents in Hong Kong and Macao enjoy peace, stability, and prosperous lives.

Her fellow crew members on the Shenzhou-23 mission, Zhu Yangzhu and Zhang Zhiyuan, also joined in extending festival regards to people nationwide. 

Zhu observed that although vast distances separated the space station from the ground, the crew's hearts remained intimately tied to their compatriots on Earth.

Zhang added that while their operational duties meant spending the holiday away from family gatherings, the mission brought a shared sense of collective dedication and purpose.

𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓