In a statement, the Chinese Space Administration (CMS) announced the selection of 10 astronauts, including eight pilots and two payload specialists (in charge of carrying out aerospace experiments and research), the latter one from Macau and the other from Hong Kong. Kong.
The selection of this fourth group, which for the first time includes representatives from the two semi-autonomous regions, began in the second half of 2022 and "received strong support and enthusiastic participation" from Macau and Hong Kong, highlighted the CMS.
The administration explained that the 10 astronauts will later be integrated into the China Astronaut Scientific Study Training Center, located on the outskirts of the capital, Beijing, to receive "comprehensive and systematic training".
Shortly after the announcement, the Macau Government thanked the authorities in mainland China for their "strong support" for the region's participation in the Chinese space program and argued that it was "an important advance" for the territory.
The choice will allow Macau to "advance in the field of aerospace technology and science, which represents (...) a strong incentive for local young people", said the region's executive, in a statement.
CMS Deputy Director Lin Xiqiang said in late April that payload specialists will work with other astronauts on missions to China's Tiangong space station and in preparation for China's first manned mission to the Moon.
China aims to land a 'taikonaut' (as Chinese astronauts are known) on the Moon before 2030, which would make it the second nation to do so after the United States.
Lin recalled that, during a visit to Macau and Hong Kong in November, the two regions proposed several experiments at Tiangong, including a project to detect high-resolution greenhouse gas emissions.
The Macau University of Science and Technology created the State Reference Laboratory for Lunar and Planetary Science in 2018, whose team includes Portuguese researchers André Antunes and Marta Filipa Simões.
China's space ambition has been growing, with the possibility of Tiangong becoming the only functioning space station, after the International Space Station, as planned, is withdrawn in 2031.
CMS said today that, "with the deepening of international cooperation in human spaceflight, foreign astronauts will also participate in the selection and training and carry out missions" to Tiangong.
China currently has cooperation projects with the European Space Agency and the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs.
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