Hong Kong’s first astronaut set for mission as early as next year

Hong Kong’s first astronaut has completed the primary training phase and is expected to undertake their inaugural space mission as early as next year, according to the China Manned Space Agency. 

During a press conference on Thursday (Oct 30) regarding the Shenzhou-21 manned spaceflight mission, a spokesman stated that the two payload specialists from Hong Kong and Macau have integrated swiftly into the team.

The spokesperson noted that the duo has completed studying the fundamental theory and various basic training programs, which cover physical fitness, psychology, and space environment adaptation.

They are now engaged in professional aerospace technical training, during which they have also completed challenging exercises such as desert survival and emergency evacuation drills at the launch site. 

Their operational skills have shown steady improvement, alongside enhancements in their physical fitness and stress resilience, the spokesman added.

The next phase will involve intensive flight mission training for the two astronauts to ensure they fully meet all requirements for their upcoming assignments.

China is scheduled to launch the Shenzhou-21 crewed spaceship on Friday (Oct 31) at 11.44pm from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The mission will carry a crew of three Chinese astronauts Zhang Lu, Wu Fei and Zhang Hongzhang.