The first astronauts to hail from Macao and Hong Kong could make their inaugural journey into space as early as next year, according to a spokesperson for the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA). The two spaceflight candidates – one from each SAR – joined the national astronaut team last August, Xinhua reports.
Speaking at a press conference in the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in Gansu on Wednesday, the agency’s Lin Xiqiang said the pair were part of China’s fourth batch of astronauts and had both been selected as payload specialists. The job entails handling the highly complex equipment carried aboard space shuttles, and conducting experiments in space. The other eight members of their cohort were being trained as pilots.
The group were currently learning fundamental spaceflight theory, undergoing psychological training and preparing for life in outer space, Lin said.
[See more: China aims to overtake the US in space science by 2050]
“Upon obtaining spaceflight qualifications, they will be included in the pool for spaceflight missions,” Lin added.
Beijing has stated its intent to send the first Chinese astronauts to the moon by 2030, as well as its belief that China will surpass US dominance in space by 2050. Last year, the country’s space programme made history with the Chang’e 6 unmanned lunar mission, which became the first probe to land and collect samples from the far side of the moon.
On the sidelines of this year’s Macau International Forum on Space and Planetary Sciences, which took place at the Macau University of Science and Technology, the director of the university’s Space Science Research Institute said the organisation was trying to get Macao involved in China’s Xihe 2 probe project, which aims to explore the sun.
