China launched the Shenzhou 23 spacecraft on May 24, 2026, sending three astronauts to the Tiangong space station aboard a Long March 2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The crew is commanded by Zhu Yangzhu, alongside Zhang Zhiyuan and Lai Ka-ying, who becomes the first astronaut from Hong Kong to reach space. Lai, born and raised in the city, holds a doctoral degree in computer forensics.
One of the three astronauts will remain in orbit for roughly a year, among the world's longest single spaceflights and a first for China's program. The extended mission anchors China's first human-body research program, collecting health data to prepare for deeper-space missions and probe the limits of human adaptability in long-duration spaceflight.
The crew is slated to run more than 100 scientific experiments, including an 'artificial embryos' study testing whether new life can develop in space. They will also complete an in-orbit handover with the Shenzhou 21 crew, who have lived aboard Tiangong for more than 200 days.