Hong Kong’s first astronaut in China’s space programme could start serving in missions as early as next year, a national agency has said.
The China Manned Space Agency picked the Hong Kong resident in July last year as part of the fourth batch of preparatory astronauts.
The local specialist and another one from Macau were among the 10 chosen in the latest group of astronauts, according to the agency.
“Since the fourth batch of astronauts joined the team in August 2024, they have carried out a number of training according to the plan, for instance, basic spaceflight theory, psychology, space environment adaptability, etc,” an agency spokesman said on Wednesday in a press conference at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northeastern China’s Gobi Desert.
“After joining the team, the Hong Kong and Macau astronauts quickly adapted to the working and living environment, rapidly integrated into the crew and trained very hard, their work is progressing smoothly, they are now carrying out studies and training in professional space technology.
“As payload experts, the Hong Kong and Macau astronauts are expected to carry out their first mission in 2026 at the earliest.”
