China picks candidates for fourth generation of astronauts

More than 100 candidates have been selected for China's fourth generation of astronauts, including more than 10 from the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions.

Lin Xiqiang, the deputy director of the China Manned Space Agency, said at a news conference at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China that some 100 candidates have passed initial selection and are competing for up to 14 places at the Astronaut Center of China.

The spacecraft pilots will be selected from aviators currently serving in the Chinese armed forces. Spaceflight engineers will be selected from researchers and technicians in aerospace or related industries. The science payload specialists will be selected from scientists working on space science and technology, Lin said.

In October 2022, China started the recruitment of its fourth generation of astronauts. The space agency said it plans to complete the recruitment and selection processes by the end of this year.

The astronauts will be selected by a panel of experts who will select 12 to 14 candidates. Seven to eight pilots will join, three to four will be spaceflight engineers, and two will be science payload specialists.

The selection of the fourth generation is the first time that people from Hong Kong and Macao have an opportunity to join the country's astronaut group.

If the Hong Kong and Macao candidates pass all of the tests and are picked by the experts, they will be sent to the astronaut center at the beginning of next year. An astronaut will be cleared for his or her first spaceflight after about two-and-a-half years of training, but that is subject to mission plans and developments, Lin said.