Cheers, pride as Hong Kong’s first astronaut heads off on mission

An electric atmosphere swept from the edge of the Gobi Desert to Hong Kong on Sunday night, as thrilled residents erupted into cheers to celebrate the historic launch of the Shenzhou-23 space mission featuring the city’s first astronaut, Lai Ka-ying. Lai, a police superintendent and a mother of three, is serving as the payload specialist for the mission. At a Wong Chuk Hang student dorm of the Uni