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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.

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has once again achieved strong results under the Research, Academic and Industry Sectors One‑Plus (RAISe+) Scheme launched by the Innovation and Technology Commission. In the third round of funding, seven HKUST research projects have been recommended for funding, accounting for nearly one-third of all approved projects in this round. Together with the first two rounds, HKUST has now secured a total of 19 funded projects, the highest number among local universities, underscoring its leading role in translating research outcomes into real-world applications and in advancing industry-academia-research collaboration.

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has secured the official endorsements from United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for two international deep-sea research initiatives, designed to address critical gaps in climate science by investigating seabed methane seeps’ role in global warming and exploring biodiversity in extreme deep-sea ecosystems. The two programs are poised to strengthen global collaboration and deliver scientific insights essential for tackling future climate challenges.

Led by scholars from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), a research team has discovered that, since the early 2000s, both sea surface temperature changes near the equator and the associated atmospheric adjustments over the Pacific have accelerated markedly—becoming a key driver of the increasingly rapid loss of Arctic sea ice during autumn. The findings highlight that, under ongoing global warming, climate linkages between distant regions are far more dynamic and complex than previously understood.

A research team at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has analyzed 40 years of data covering around 1,500 tropical cyclones and discovered that average rain rates surge by more than 20% in the 60 hours before landfall. The study is also the first to clearly identify the physical mechanisms behind this increase, showing that rising humidity over coastal areas and enhanced land-sea frictional contrasts strengthen convection, intensifying rainfall ahead of landfall. The results provide valuable insights for improving coastal disaster preparedness and early‑warning systems.

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.