Hong Kong’s astronaut hopefuls prepare for another round of screening in Beijing as Chinese spacecraft launches
- Hong Kong leader says he is cheering for city candidates and hopes one of them will fulfil their space dreams
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“I am cheering for the candidates from Hong Kong, hoping that one of them can successfully achieve their space dreams and contribute to the national aerospace industry, bringing honour to Hong Kong,” he told the press ahead of a weekly meeting with his advisers.
The three-week recruitment drive was part of the selection process for the country’s fourth intake of astronauts. Fourteen spots are available, including for two payload specialists to be selected from Hong Kong and Macau.
It was the first time the China Manned Space Agency accepted candidates from Hong Kong and Macau for two positions as payload specialists.
Professor Quentin Parker, director of the space research laboratory at the University of Hong Kong, said the competition was stiff given that 120 Hongkongers applied and only about 10 per cent were shortlisted.
“At this stage of the Chinese space station, every ounce you send into space is expensive. You have to provide all the services and technologies to keep them alive for a few months in space, and that’s not cheap,” Parker said.
“You can’t afford to send people into space that aren’t competent because it can do a lot of damage.”
Parker said he believed the screening process for Chinese payload specialists was extremely rigorous to pick candidates with the right mentality apart from qualifications and the right physiques.
“You’ve got very limited space to move around and you are sharing it with two other humans for five months. That requires a certain kind of mindset and mental toughness to be able to survive that kind of environment,” the director said.
“It’s not just your intelligence or physical prowess, mental endurance and capacity are also important for survival.”
Almost 50 experts in Hong Kong apply for chance to join Chinese space mission
Payload specialists are generally recruited from candidates with a strong background in science or engineering. This role involves overseeing highly complex or classified on-board equipment and performing tasks such as taking astronautical measurements.
He will manage and maintain the payload for science experiments on the Shenzhou-16 spacecraft.
