Astronauts Zhu Yangzhu, Zhang Zhiyuan and Lai Ka-ying will carry out China's Shenzhou-23 manned mission to its space station, with Zhu as the commander, the China Manned Space Agency announced at a press conference on Saturday.

For the first time, the three crew members come from the third and fourth batches – the two most recent recruitment classes – of China's astronauts. One of them will stay in the space station for a year. 

Zhu, who previously took part in China's Shenzhou-16 mission, is not only China's first spaceflight engineer to serve as a mission commander, but also the first astronaut from the third batch to assume this role.

Zhu noted that as commander, what occupies his mind the most is how to make thorough preparations for every step and how to lead the team in flawlessly completing the flight mission with zero mistakes and zero errors.

Zhang is a member of the third batch of China's astronauts. Together with countless others, he once gazed at the stars and witnessed the historic launch of Shenzhou-5. Tomorrow, he will join his teammates in heading to space, turning his dream into reality. 

He emphasized that the journey from dreaming to living the dream is a long road paved with conviction and perseverance.

Lai, the first astronaut from China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), was selected as a payload specialist for the Shenzhou-23 mission. She is the first astronaut from the fourth batch to participate in a Chinese space mission and also the first female payload specialist selected from the Hong Kong and Macao SARs.

Lai noted that as an ordinary person from Hong Kong, being able to join the astronaut corps and be selected for this mission crew is an opportunity of immeasurable value – something she never dared to hope for before. 

At this moment, she said, her heart is filled with gratitude and honor, and she deeply feels the glory and the great responsibility of this mission.

Both Zhang and Lai will embark on their first journey into space.