Shenzhou-23 docks at Tiangong with Hong Kong's first astronaut; one crew member to stay a year

China Manned Space Agency/Shenzhou

Shenzhou-23 launched from Jiuquan at 11:08 pm on May 24 and docked with Tiangong's Tianhe core module about 3.5 hours later. Commander Zhu Yangzhu, pilot Zhang Zhiyuan and payload specialist Lai Ka-ying, the first person from Hong Kong to fly to space, joined the Shenzhou-21 crew. One of the three will stay about a year, China's first such mission, to study long-term effects on the body ahead of Moon and Mars flights.

• Docking at 2:45 am Beijing time on May 25; the hatch opened at 5:13 am.
• The Shenzhou-21 crew, whose stay was extended by a month, was due home on May 29.
• A Pakistani astronaut visiting on Shenzhou-24 is to take the year-long stayer's seat home.
• Shenzhou-23 reportedly has better window protection after the Shenzhou-20 crack.