Selection of HK-Macau payload specialists 'basically done'

The selection of payload specialists from Hong Kong and Macau is "basically done," the deputy head of the China Manned Space Agency said from Inner Mongolia yesterday.

Lin Xiqiang said the results will be announced soon and the two SARs will be informed immediately.

"With prior approval from the central government, we selected payload specialists from Hong Kong and Macau for the first time in the fourth batch of reserve astronauts selection, and the selection process is basically done and will be announced officially to the public soon," Lin said ahead of the launch of Shenzhou 18.

"Regarding the specific selection results in HK and Macau, we will notify the SAR governments as soon as possible."

The selection of the fourth batch was launched in 2022 and implemented in three stages consisting of preliminary selection, repeated selection, and fixed selection. The 12 to 14 reserve astronauts selected include astronaut pilots, aerospace engineers and payload specialists.

If the payload specialists from Hong Kong and Macau pass the fixed selection, they will be trained in the Astronaut Center of China.

Lin said Hong Kong and Macau have actively participated in constructing China's manned space engineering and supported projects by utilizing their advantageous resources and technologies.

He said during the visit of the CSMA delegation to Hong Kong and Macau last November that research institutions have proposed projects such as high-resolution global greenhouse gas detection, which are expected to be studied and applied in space stations.

The agency will focus on promoting the participation of foreign astronauts and space tourists to the orbiting outpost and will welcome new members of different ethnicities in the future.