China Chooses 10 Candidates for Historic Space Landing

John Lee Ka-chiu

10 astronaut candidates are chosen by China in advance of their 2030 space landing.

China selects 10 astronaut candidates, including 2 from Macau and Hong Kong, for its 2030 lunar mission. This marks a historic milestone for the territories and a significant step forward for China's space program, which aims to establish a moon base and conduct a crewed lunar landing by 2030.

The selection of China's first astronaut candidates from its special administrative areas of Macau and Hong Kong was revealed on Tuesday, June 11. Hong Kong officials hailed this accomplishment as a magnificent chapter in the history of their city.

Beijing has made massive financial investments in its space program, which is managed by the military, as it works toward its aspirational goal of conducting a manned lunar landing by 2030.

10 candidates were chosen for the nation's fourth batch of astronauts, and two of them are from Macau and Hong Kong, according to the China Manned Space Agency.

John Lee, the leader of Hong Kong, described it as “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 programme, with a chance to become an astronaut to go to space in person, to participate in research and to contribute to the country's space programme.” Lee said.

The government of Macau also declared in a statement released on Tuesday, June 11 that the choice of one of its own was an honor that conveyed “a strong inspirational message to the young people of Macau.”

China Manned Space Agency stated that the choice of astronauts from the two territories “has garnered strong support and enthusiastic participation from local communities.”

President Xi Jinping of China has accelerated plans for China's space ambition.

Beijing has made significant investments in its space program over the last ten years in an effort to catch up to the US and Russia, who had been matching their achievements years behind schedule.

The nation reached a noteworthy milestone this month when its probe started returning to Earth with samples from the Moon's far side.

A space station named Tiangong, or celestial palace, was constructed, and robotic rovers were sent to settle on the moon and Mars.

China's lunar ambitions include building a moon base and sending a crewed mission by 2030.