************************************************
On behalf of the people of Hong Kong, the Chief Executive, Mr Donald Tsang, today (June 29) congratulated the nation on the successful completion of the Shenzhou-9 manned spacecraft mission. A congratulatory letter has been sent to the national leaders.
"Shenzhou-9 has achieved many records in our nation's space exploration history, including the first manual spacecraft docking with the orbiting Tiangong-1 lab module, astronauts entering and living inside Tiangong-1 for the first time, and the first Chinese female astronaut going to space," Mr Tsang said.
"The success of Shenzhou-9 marks a breakthrough in our nation's manned spacecraft technology. We are all thrilled with these excellent outcomes and proud of our nation's extraordinary achievements."
Mr Tsang wishes the nation's space programme every success.
Ends/Friday, June 29, 2012
Issued at HKT 11:10
NNNN