HK policewoman 'selected' for space program

Staff reporter

Hong Kong's first payload specialist to join the National Manned Space Programme is a policewoman, sources told Sing Tao Daily, sister paper of The Standard.

The National Space Administration announced the recruitment of the fourth batch of astronauts and payload specialists from Hong Kong for the first time in October 2022. It is understood that the selection process has already entered its final stage, and an announcement is expected shortly.

According to sources, a policewoman made it through the final stage and was selected to be a payload specialist. Her background and other details are still unknown.

Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Sun Dong earlier said that more than one Hongkonger entered the final stage of the selection process for a payload specialist, and that he was confident that at least one would be selected.

A total of 120 Hongkongers applied for the program, of which 60 percent were male.

They were from universities, government-funded research centers, the Productivity Council, Science Park and Cyberport research institutes, government departments, Hospital Authority and other research institutes.

In terms of their specialties, over half were from the fields of biology, medicine, biomedical engineering, mechanical engineering and electronic engineering. The rest specialized in physics, material science, chemistry, psychology and astronomy.

Only 40 applicants went through the health check and reached the preliminary screening stage, and about 10 of them entered the second round of selection. At least one entered the final stage.

The administration has not disclosed the identities and backgrounds of the candidates.

Only photos of the candidates with their backs turned to the camera - taken when they visited Government House and met Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu in June last year before heading to Beijing - were made public.

The country launched the recruitment with the aim of nurturing 12 to 14 astronauts, including two payload specialists who will be responsible for carrying out scientific and applied research on the space station.

Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of China Manned Space Agency, said last month the selection work for the fourth batch of astronauts was "basically completed" and relevant information would be released soon, according to Xinhua news agency.

Lin said the astronauts will carry out follow-up missions with the active astronauts in the space station and "help achieve the goal of putting Chinese astronauts on the moon before 2030."

Payload specialists, one of the categories of astronauts, are professional scientific researchers who carry out scientific and applied research on space stations.

During missions, payload specialists are mainly responsible for conducting aerospace experiments, operating space laboratory equipment and managing the daily operations of space stations.