Lai Ka-ying made history as the first female Chinese civilian to reach outer space and the first astronaut from Hong Kong.
According to China Daily, Hong Kong astronaut has been launched into space for the first time, aboard China's Shenzhou-23 spacecraft from China's Tiangong space station on Sunday night, May 24.
Ahead of the first spaceflight the 43-year-old police officer expressed that she never dared to dream of traveling into space.
Lai told reporters, "As an ordinary native of Hong Kong, I never imagined I could join the astronaut team and be selected for this spaceflight. This precious opportunity was far beyond my wildest expectations back then. At this moment, my heart is filled with gratitude and pride.”
"First and foremost, I sincerely thank our motherland for building a stage where we can realize our dreams. I also wish to express my heartfelt gratitude to the Hong Kong government and Hong Kong people for their full support," she added.
Lai serves as the payload scientist in the three-member crew. At least one member of the crew will spend a full year in orbit as part of a key experiment. Authorities will determine who that will be at a later date, BBC reported.
The mission is the latest in China's ambitious space program to send humans to the moon by 2030. It comes amid an accelerating race with the US, which is looking to achieve a crewed lunar landing by 2028.
