On May 24, the Long March 2F Y23 carrier rocket successfully blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, carrying the Shenzhou‑23 manned spaceship. Hong Kong’s first astronaut Dr. LAI Ka-Ying is serving as a payload specialist to operate the HKUST-led Multi‑Spectral Imaging Carbon Observatory (MUSICO). Ahead of the launch, Prof. ZHAI Chengxing—the mission system engineer of MUSICO and Associate Professor in the Division of Emerging Interdisciplinary Areas (EMIA)—shared his insights with FengShows (鳳凰秀), an official online platform of Phoenix TV.

MUSICO, led by an interdisciplinary research team from HKUST is the world's first lightweight, high-resolution, and high-precision synergistic carbon dioxide and methane point-source detector. Prof. Zhai expressed anticipation and excitement about the commencement of MUSICO’s in‑orbit operations. It will be installed on the Mengtian module using a robotic arm, after which it will undertake Earth observation missions.

During the interview, Prof. Zhai highlighted Hong Kong’s growing contribution to national aerospace initiatives, emphasizing the city’s strong research capabilities, as well as the importance of clear objectives and collaboration within the scientific community. He also noted that Hong Kong’s unique position as an international hub under the “One Country, Two Systems” framework facilitates global scientific exchange and supports the advancement of aerospace development.

Watch the full interview here: https://share.fengshows.cn/article.html?id=fbe0c7b0-7c37-4670-a9db-2067e983fb9e&channelID=r06&time=1779721409.926527