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Michael Wong, deputy financial secretary (right) together with the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Sun Dong announce the national space agency recruitment drive in Hong Kong on October 2. Photo: K. Y. Cheng

Hong Kong’s high fliers eye rare chance to join Chinese space mission, with scientists and engineers flocking to sign up

  • Members of several academic institutions confirm colleagues and students are interested in signing up for rigorous screening process for payload specialist roles
  • Applications opened on October 6, set to close in several weeks’ time

Scientists and engineers in Hong Kong have responded enthusiastically to Beijing’s decision to extend a recruitment drive for the country’s space programme to the city, with a number of academics expressing an interest in applying.

Earlier this month, the China Manned Space Agency said candidates from Hong Kong and Macau would be eligible for the first time to apply for two positions as payload specialists. Applications opened on October 6 and will close in less than three weeks’ time.

A source from the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute on Tuesday said it had six researchers who were considering submitting their applications.

“More and more colleagues are showing interest to apply for it. So we won’t reveal their names because we need to be fair to other interested colleagues,” the insider said.

“People might drop out because of family matters. So we won’t have a final announcement until the deadline.”

A Hongkonger could receive the chance to join China’s next space mission. Photo: Handout

Professor Tsui Lap-chee, a founding president of the Hong Kong Academy of Sciences, said at a press conference on Wednesday that he believed that applicants from the city would make for competitive candidates because of their strong background in research.

“I am excited about this opportunity for young researchers. But payload specialists are not like bus passengers, the physical requirements for them are very strict,” he said.

“They are also not plane passengers; they need to work and must have very in-depth knowledge about basic science … But Hong Kong is very good in basic research.”

Tsui, who is also a former vice-chancellor at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), said he hoped the recruitment drive would inspire more youngsters to pursue fields in scientific research and mathematics.

Authorities should allocate more resources for the Research Grants Council and ramp up support for local researchers, he added.

Appearing at the same event, Professor Dennis Lo Yuk-ming, the associate dean of the medical school at Chinese University (CUHK), said he wanted the initiative to inspire researchers and help them realise that the “sky is not the limit”.

Fierce competition expected in Hong Kong for first-ever astronaut drive

Professor Che Chi-ming, of HKU’s chemistry department, said he was looking forward to learning about what experiments the payload specialists could be conducting in space. He added that any such tests could be compared with those conducted on Earth.

On Tuesday, Professor Quentin Parker, director of HKU’s Laboratory for Space Research, said several of his students had expressed interest in the screening process.

“They’re just wondering how qualified they are, the thing is that most of them are too young because the current call is some people between 30 and 45,” he said.

“So, of course, that call would go out for people who have already graduated with a PhD and already perhaps working in universities or in our industry in Hong Kong or elsewhere.”

Payload specialists are generally recruited from candidates with a strong background in science or engineering, with the role requiring individuals to oversee highly complex or classified on-board equipment, in addition to carrying out functions such as astronautical measurements.

Professor Quentin Parker, director of the University of Hong Kong’s Laboratory for Space Research. Photo: Jonathan Wong

According to the listed criteria from the space agency, candidates must be Chinese nationals with Hong Kong permanent residency. The programme also sought those deemed to have a patriotic background and adhered to the “one country, two systems” governing policy, in addition to upholding both the state and local constitutions.

Physical requirements included an age range of 30 to 45, while height restrictions were 1.62 to 1.75 metres for men and 1.60 to 1.75 metres for women.

Applicants were also required to hold a doctoral degree and have a minimum of three years of professional working experience.

Parker said that one of his students, a Hong Kong Chinese resident with a PhD in engineering, was extremely keen to apply but was concerned about the physical requirements.

“The only issue is that he’s worried he might be a bit too tall,” he said.

Hong Kong over the moon with chance of place on China space mission

The laboratory director stressed that applicants from Hong Kong had a strong chance of getting into the programme, despite its strict age limit and physical requirements.

“We have three universities that are among the top 15 in the world. All we need is aspirational young people. We don’t need more lawyers and bankers. We need more space scientists. This is absolutely a great opportunity,” he said.

A source from the University of Science and Technology said several researchers at the institution had expressed interest in applying for the position.

Professor William Wong Kam-fai, the associate dean at Chinese University’s faculty of engineering, also said several of his students hoped to sign up.

Self-confidence was crucial for any prospective candidates hoping to sign up, he said, adding it was difficult to say whether someone from Hong Kong had a good chance of joining the programme.

“The universities in Hong Kong and in the mainland are equivalently capable in terms of scientific research and academic achievements,” he said.

“It’s all down to whether the applicants have self-confidence and a willingness to contribute to the country.”

02:43

Chinese space debris seen burning up in night sky over Malaysia as rocket parts land in sea

Chinese space debris seen burning up in night sky over Malaysia as rocket parts land in sea

Scholars from Polytechnic University also planned to step forward, with a spokesman confirming several research assistant professors and postdoctoral researchers had taken an interest.

The university would also continue to expand its scientific research across various disciplines and push to participate in national space missions, he added.

The Hong Kong Productivity Council, a government body that supports the city’s business sector, said it had approached existing and former staff, in addition to industry partners, to help identify suitable candidates. It added that some employees had already expressed an interest in applying.

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