Shenzhou-23 crew sends Mid-Autumn Festival greetings from Tiangong

The Shenzhou-23 crew aboard China's Tiangong space station has sent Mid-Autumn Festival greetings from orbit, some 400 kilometres above Earth. The video message marks the fourth time the festival has been celebrated aboard Tiangong since the completion of China's space station.

Commander Zhu Yangzhu, speaking from the station, said the crew was observing the festival in space and that separation from family weighs more heavily on such occasions. He said that although the Earth lies far away, the crew's hearts remain in step with the motherland and closely tied to the people of the country. Zhu is on his second space journey and is the first commander drawn from China's third batch of astronauts; this is also the second time he has spent the Mid-Autumn Festival in orbit.

Astronaut Zhang Zhiyuan, who is on his first space flight, said that carrying out a mission in space means forgoing the warmth of a family reunion, but that working as a team yields greater perseverance. Addressing his family, he said that a bright "star" crossing the night sky is Tiangong — and him missing them.

Payload expert Lai Ka-ying, the country's first astronaut from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the first payload specialist to fly from the fourth batch of astronauts, described the occasion as a special one. Looking through the porthole, she said, what she misses most are the lights of countless homes across China and the full moon over Hong Kong. She added that although the crew is thousands of miles away, the bright moon is shared, and that this makes the longing keener.

The three astronauts closed their message with a joint wish for the prosperity and strength of the motherland and the peace of its people, and greeted everyone with a happy Mid-Autumn Festival and a happy family.

The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival, is one of China's most important traditional festivals and is associated with family reunion and the full moon. The Shenzhou-23 spacecraft was launched on May 24 this year, and the crew entered Tiangong on May 25. They have now been working in orbit for four months.