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

Canonical page: https://technooptimist.io/stories/shenzhou-23-docks-at-tiangong-with-hong-kong-s-first-astronaut-one-crew-21ba59b8
Date: 25 May 2026
About: [China Manned Space Agency](https://technooptimist.io/companies/cmsa.md) · [Shenzhou](https://technooptimist.io/spaceflight/shenzhou.md)
Original source: https://starlust.org/shenzhou-23-spacecraft-carrying-hong-kongs-first-spacefarer-docks-to-chinas-tiangong-space-station

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.

## Key facts

- 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.

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