‘Let’s give it a try’: motion sickness no barrier for Hong Kong’s first astronaut

AdvertisementHong Kong societyHong KongSociety‘Let’s give it a try’: motion sickness no barrier for Hong Kong’s first astronaut

Lai Ka-ying says sheer willpower helped her pass parts of the gruelling selection process for China’s Shenzhou-23 mission

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Ng Kang-chungandMatthew ChengPublished: 12:04am, 24 May 2026Updated: 12:21am, 24 May 2026Lai Ka-ying suffers from motion sickness, cannot stand hot weather, was not a top student and did not speak Mandarin – all of which made the 43-year-old mother of three an unlikely pick as Hong Kong’s first astronaut.But the Hong Kong-born payload specialist on China’s Shenzhou-23 mission, which is expected to blast off on Sunday night and head to the Tiangong space station, made it through almost two years of training.

“I held a ‘let’s give it a try’ attitude,” Lai said in interviews with state media, recalling how she managed to pass the gruelling selection process. “I am prone to getting carsick and seasick. But when I sat in the rotating chair, I easily passed the test.”

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She added: “In the centrifuge test, I was in total confusion, everything went blurry. But I persevered through sheer willpower.”

Working in the Hong Kong Police Force, where long hours and irregular shifts are the norm, helped her easily handle training involving 72 hours without sleep.AdvertisementAdvertisementSelect VoiceSelect Speed0.8x0.9x1.0x1.1x1.2x1.5x1.75x00:0000:001.00x