Today, May 23, the Shenzhou 23 astronaut crew was officially unveiled at Wentiange at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The three astronauts are commander Zhu Yangzhu, astronaut Zhang Zhiyuan, and payload expert Li Jiaying from Hong Kong.
This is the first time the crew has met with Chinese and foreign media, and it also marks the mission entering a critical stage before departure.
This mission has many highlights and many firsts. Zhu Yangzhu is the first flight engineer to serve as commander among my country's third batch of astronauts. The mission will also enable astronauts to stay in orbit for one year for the first time. At the same time, the first Hong Kong astronaut will be ushered in, and he will also be the first member of the fourth batch of astronauts to perform a flight mission.
Zhu Yangzhu said that multiple firsts mean an all-round test. As the commander, he will lead the team to be fully prepared to ensure zero mistakes in the mission and to run this flying relay steadily.
Zhang Zhiyuan flew into space for the first time, and he shared his experience of pursuing his dream. He said that there is no shortcut from looking up at the stars to realizing the dream of space. Only by being down-to-earth, persisting in love, and connecting personal dreams with the needs of the country can we get to where we are today. He also encouraged young people to reach their own stars if they persist in hard work.
Lai Ka-ying has attracted much attention. She is the first Hong Kong astronaut to enter space. She admitted that she was excited and grateful, thanking her motherland for providing a platform to realize her dream, and also thanking the people of Hong Kong for their support. Although the training is tough, she will go all out and live up to everyone's expectations.
The three astronauts have different divisions of labor and tacit cooperation. They will jointly complete multiple tasks such as space station maintenance, extravehicular activities, and scientific experiments.
This year coincides with the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Long March and the 70th anniversary of the founding of China's aerospace industry. The crew will also inherit the spirit in space and carry out the long march in space in the new era.