China names new astronaut candidates for 2030 moon landing
3 Min Read
Hong Kong leader John Lee has called it "a glorious page in Hong Kong's history" as some candidates are selected from the region to land on the moon by 2030.
-
Chinese astronauts for the Shenzhou-18 mission - Ye Guangfu, Li Cong, and Li Guangsu as they attend a send-off ceremony at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in China, Thursday, April 25, 2024. (AP)
China has announced the first astronaut candidates from its administrative regions of Macau and Hong Kong for its manned lunar landing plan, expected to be launched by 2030, which China has invested billions of dollars in and aims to build a base on the lunar surface.
Hong Kong leader John Lee called it "a glorious page in Hong Kong's history."
"This is... the first time that a Hong Kong citizen was selected as a payload specialist in China's manned space program, with a chance to become an astronaut to go to space in person, to participate in research and to contribute the country's space programme," Lee said.
The China Manned Space Agency released a statement confirming that a payload specialist from Hong Kong and another from Macau were among the 10 candidates, adding that choosing from these two areas "has garnered strong support and enthusiastic participation from local communities."
Read next: Humans to live and work on moon by 2030: NASA
On its part, Macau's government called the selection of one of its own "an honor" that sent "a strong inspirational message to the young people of Macau."
Chinese President Xi Jinping catalyzed plans for China's "space dream", as China has been trying to catch up with the race between the United States and Russia.
The space race
China already scored a win this month after its probe carried samples from the far side of the Moon and has started its journey back to Earth alongside another win by building a space station called Tiangong, or "heavenly palace", and landing robotic rovers on Mars and the Moon.
Last week, China successfully landed an unmanned spacecraft on the far side of the moon, marking a significant breakthrough in its historic mission to collect the first-ever rock and soil samples from the dark side of the lunar hemisphere.
With countries like the United States aiming to capitalize on lunar resources for sustained astronaut missions and establishing moon bases within the next decade, China's achievement underscores its growing prowess in space exploration.
The Chang'e-6 spacecraft, equipped with an array of tools and its launcher, successfully landed in the vast impact crater known as the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the moon's far side at 6:23 am (2223 GMT), as announced by the China National Space Administration.
China has in recent years made considerable advances in its space industry, so much so that it was revealed in December 2021 that China is building its space capabilities at "double the rate" of that of the US.
On July 3, 2022, NASA chief Bill Nelson said he was concerned about China's lunar missions because he believes Beijing intends to claim the moon for itself, while in September 2022, China accused Washington of seeking to militarize outer space, announcing on April 7 that it will launch 12,992 satellites into orbit to rival Elon Musk's Starlink.
