Lai Ka-ying has done Hong Kong proud as first astronaut but now what else is needed?

AdvertisementHong Kong societyHong KongHong Kong EconomyLai Ka-ying has done Hong Kong proud as first astronaut but now what else is needed?

Steps needed to turn short-term excitement surrounding Lai’s Shenzhou-23 mission into long-term talent pipeline, academic says

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Jess MaandLam Ka-singPublished: 10:16pm, 25 May 2026Updated: 10:53pm, 25 May 2026

Hong Kong should harness the excitement sparked by the city’s first astronaut to set up a dedicated office to foster local aerospace technology and development, experts and a top government adviser have said.

Professor Zhang Peng, programme leader for aerospace engineering at City University, urged the government to expand funding for programmes, create dedicated internships and establish a local aerospace technology hub to build on the momentum from Sunday’s historic flight involving home-grown astronaut Lai Ka-ying.

“Lai Ka-ying’s success boosts public aspiration, but without sustained funding, industry links and the commercial translation of research, talent will leak to other sectors or regions,” Zhang said on Monday.

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“Prioritising these steps will turn short-term excitement into a long-term talent pipeline and innovation ecosystem.”

Lai, a police superintendent and mother of three, joined the Shenzhou-23 space mission on Sunday evening as China’s first female payload specialist.

01:31Hong Kong’s first astronaut Lai Ka-ying among Shenzhou-23 crew entering Tiangong space station

The three-person crew entered China’s Tiangong space station at 5.13am on Monday after their spacecraft blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwestern China’s Gansu province at 11.08pm on Sunday.

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