China Selects 10 New Astronauts, First from Hong Kong and Macao Included

China has selected 10 new astronaut candidates for its fourth batch of astronauts, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced on Tuesday. The group includes eight space pilots and, for the first time, two payload specialists from the Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions.

The inclusion of candidates from Hong Kong and Macao is a significant milestone, reflecting strong support and enthusiastic participation from these regions. This move underscores China’s commitment to involving all parts of the country in its ambitious space program.

The candidates will undergo comprehensive and systematic training at the China Astronaut Research and Training Center. Their preparation is designed to support both ongoing space station missions and future lunar exploration missions, as China aims to achieve a manned lunar landing by 2030.

“For the training of our existing second and third batches of astronauts, as well as the upcoming fourth batch, we have opened fundamental courses related to geology. We have also arranged for the astronauts relevant training, including field studies and geological surveys,” said Huang Weifen, chief designer of the manned space program’s astronaut system. “When the development of training simulators for manned lunar missions is completed, we will be able to unfold more substantive training tasks.”

China’s astronaut selection process has become increasingly sophisticated. Since selecting its first 14 astronauts from air force pilots in 1998, the country has expanded its astronaut corps with additional selections in 2010 and 2020. The current selection marks a new chapter by including payload specialists from Hong Kong and Macao.

The CMSA also indicated that as international cooperation in crewed space exploration deepens, foreign astronauts will be invited to participate in the selection and training processes, and subsequently carry out missions on China’s space station.

This development comes at a time when China’s space program is making significant strides, including the operation of its own space station and ambitious plans for lunar exploration. The inclusion of talent from Hong Kong and Macao, along with the prospect of international collaboration, highlights China’s openness and growing role in global space endeavors.

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