Beijing to recruit HK astronauts

James Lee, Jane Cheung and Stacy Shi

China will recruit astronauts in Hong Kong and Macau for the first time in the nation's fourth recruitment drive for up to 14 aspiring aerospace engineers.

Recruits will join the nation's space missions in the future with two payload specialists - engineers who conduct or oversee scientific experiments and tests - recruited in Hong Kong and Macau.

Speaking last night at a "Realise Our Dream Serve The Country" presentation last night, Eddie Mak Tak-wai, the permanent secretary for innovation, technology and industry, said experts in physics and chemistry from the SAR would be suited for the payload positions.

They would have to hold a doctoral degree with at least three years of professional experience.

Candidates must be aged 30 to 45, in peak physical condition, with men 162 centimeters to 175cm tall and women 160cm to 175cm.

They should not suffer from allergies or altitude sickness, and health experts will determine whether those who have recovered from Covid-19 can be considered for a position.

So from Thursday until October 27, applications will be open to talented individuals from 11 local universities, five public research centers, the Hong Kong Productivity Council, research institutions in Cyberport and Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, government departments and the Hospital Authority.

Outsider candidates will also be considered in the first round of screening in Hong Kong, and short-listed names will be passed to mainland authorities for further screening.

"Applicants must be Chinese nationals who are permanent residents of Hong Kong," said Michael Wong Wai-lun, the deputy financial secretary. "The program will be subsidized by the SAR government throughout their training, so they won't have to worry about their well being."

He added that training would be conducted in the mainland.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu welcomed the recruitment of payload specialists for the first time in Hong Kong.

This "signifies that the country encourages and welcomes Hong Kong compatriots to contribute to the country's development," he said.

Mainland sources said the fourth batch in the selection program of reserved astronauts will be completed in about 18 months.

According to the Xinhua News Agency, 12 to 14 astronauts will be recruited, including seven to eight pilots, three to four engineers and two payload specialists.

Pilots will be selected among serving pilots of the People's Liberation Army, while engineers and payload specialists will be researchers in expert fields.

In a two-minute promotion video published by the China Manned Space Agency yesterday, prominent astronauts in the form of China's first astronaut, Yang Liwei, and the Shenzhen 14 crew of Chen Dong, Liu Yang and Cai Xuzhe, who currently are staying on the Tiangong space station, called for people with aspirations to join the selection process.

Nixie Lam Lam, a legislator belonging to the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, noted that three universities in Hong Kong are offering undergraduate and master's degree programs for training aerospace professionals, with no less than 100 graduates each year focusing on aerospace technology development.

In the third batch of China Manned Space Program astronauts in 2020, four payload specialists were selected together with seven engineers and seven pilots.

The crew of 18 was more diverse than previous iterations of the program, which only recruited PLA Air Force pilots as participating astronauts.