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香港科技大學（科大）牽頭研製的全球首款輕小型、高分辨率、高精度二氧化碳（CO₂）與甲烷（CH₄）點源協同探測儀「天韻相機」（MUSICO）日前由香港首位載荷專家黎家盈博士及另外兩位航天員在軌組裝檢測，並成功安裝於中國「天宮」太空站外指定載荷掛點位置，正式投入運作。儀器將於未來兩年或更長時間提供自主、可控且具高精準度的二氧化碳與甲烷排放監測數據。相關成果將與政府部門及科研機構共享，為應對氣候變化及推動全球可持續發展作出貢獻。 「天韻相機」項目三位負責人包括科大土木及環境工程學系講座教授蘇慧教授、土木及環境工程學系系主任兼講座教授張利民教授，以及新興跨學科領域學部副教授翟成興教授日前遠赴北京，全程觀察儀器在軌安裝過程，並參與現場關鍵節點決策和數據分析評估工作。現時，天韻相機配備的四個分別用於探測二氧化碳、甲烷、氧氣及氣溶膠的感應器均能成功拍攝影像，成像質量清晰，整體運作表現良好。團隊接著會進行在軌測試，界定數據精度，預計在兩至三個月後開啟常規運行。 蘇慧教授對儀器在太空站順利完成安裝並正式投入運作表示欣喜，並指出：「這對整個團隊而言，是一項重要的階段性成果。太空站以每秒7.7公里的速度環繞地球飛行，較地面高速鐵路快近百倍；要在如此高速運動的狀態下捕捉清晰而精準的影像，難度相當高。現時儀器運作正常穩定，對整個科研團隊是一大鼓舞，亦充分反映香港具備研製高端航天科研載荷的實力，有能力承擔國家太空站的長期科學任務。」 

神舟二十三號載人飛船順利升空，並首次有香港載荷專家參與國家航天任務，為香港航天發展譜寫嶄新篇章。為見證這歷史性時刻，香港科技大學（科大）約50名師生今日齊聚校園，共同觀看電視直播，現場氣氛熱烈高漲。當火箭騰飛一刻，師生們紛紛報以熱烈掌聲及歡呼，對能夠同步見證國家航天任務圓滿成功，均感到無比激動與自豪。 近年來，科大科研團隊積極及深度參與國家航天任務。在現場觀看直播的師生之中，不少亦曾參與由科大團隊牽頭研製的全球首款輕小型、高分辨率、高精度二氧化碳與甲烷點源協同探測儀——「天韻相機」（MUSICO）項目。該項目由多位科大教授領導，包括科大土木及環境工程學系講座教授蘇慧教授、土木及環境工程學系系主任兼講座教授張利民教授，以及新興跨學科領域學部副教授翟成興教授。 曾於美國太空總署（NASA）任職長達17年的大氣科學專家蘇慧教授表示：「看到火箭順利升空，大家心情都無比激動，難以言喻。航天任務從研發到發射，每一個環節都需要大量專家與科研人員傾注心力，付出巨大努力；當中涉及的技術攻關與嚴謹測試，確實不計其數。我們亦特別為今次有來自香港的載荷專家參與其中而深感自豪，衷心祝願她在天宮太空站上各項任務圓滿成功。」 

The China Manned Space Agency today announced the crew of the Shenzhou-23 mission, which includes Dr. LAI Ka-Ying, a payload specialist from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). Dr. Lai will embark on a mission aboard the Tiangong Space Station. The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) extends its warmest congratulations and expresses profound pride and excitement at this historic moment. 

The world’s first lightweight, high‑resolution, high‑precision synergistic observatory for carbon dioxide (CO₂) and methane (CH₄) emission point sources – named “MUSICO”, Multi‑Spectral Imaging Carbon Observatory, led by The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST)　– was successfully launched aboard the Tianzhou‑10 cargo spacecraft on May 11 and has arrived at China’s Tiangong Space Station. This is not only Hong Kong’s first scientific payload deployed on the national space station, but also a historic breakthrough for the city in the development of high‑end aerospace instruments. The project fully demonstrates Hong Kong’s strong capability to build national‑level cutting-edge scientific payloads, to participate in long‑term space station missions, and to play a key role in addressing global climate change while serving the nation’s strategic “carbon peak and carbon neutrality” goals.

Prof. LU Mengqian, now Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, told the unique story of a little girl in Qingdao with tremendous physical and intellectual potentials.

A research team at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has developed an innovative urban food waste management framework by analyzing food waste data from 29 large cities worldwide, including Hong Kong, Beijing, and New York. The study shows that in cities with higher food waste moisture loads, such as Hong Kong, grinding food waste and diverting it into the sewage system is more effective than relying solely on landfilling. This approach can reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions by about 47% and lower total waste-management costs by about 11%. The research provides a new, quantitative basis for shaping food waste management strategies in cities around the globe.

In a critical advance for climate resilience, researchers from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have developed an AI model that can predict dangerous convective storms—including Black Rainstorms, thunderstorms and extreme heavy rainfall like those that have hit Hong Kong—up to four hours before they strike. This world-first technology, developed in collaboration with national meteorological institutions and powered by satellite data and advanced deep diffusion technology, improves forecast accuracy by over 15% at the 48‑kilometer spatial scale compared with existing systems. This breakthrough strengthens the overall accuracy of the national weather forecasting system and promises to transform early warning systems for vulnerable communities across Asia.

A research team led by The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) scholars has discovered a significant slowdown in Arctic sea ice melting since 2012, with the decrease rate of 11.3% per decade to an insignificant downward trend of only −0.4% per decade. This phenomenon is closely related to a shift in the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) pattern, from a negative phase to its positive phase, which traps cold air within the Arctic region. It is projected to peak between 2030 and 2040, after which the Arctic could enter a new phase of accelerated ice melt. Without reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, this may trigger severe climate and environmental crises within decades.