Introduction
The country announced the official launch of the recruitment of the fourth batch of astronauts and the recruitment of Payload Specialists in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) for the first time, giving Hong Kong citizens the opportunity to participate in the National Manned Space Programme and contribute to the technological development of our country.
Payload Specialists, one of the categories of astronauts classified by types of mission, are professional scientific researchers who will carry out scientific and applied researches in space stations. During space missions, Payload Specialists are mainly responsible for conducting aerospace experiments or researches, operating space laboratory equipment, and managing daily operations of space stations with other astronauts.
Preliminary screening of the Payload Specialists recruitment will be arranged by the HKSAR Government, whereas further screening of the Payload Specialists recruitment will be conducted by relevant authorities in the Mainland.
Press Release by the Chief Executive of HKSAR
Press Release by Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau
Recruitment for preliminary screening will mainly be conducted through the following universities/ organisations/ companies:
- 11 local universities;
- five Government research and development (R&D) centres (including Automotive Platforms and Application Systems R&D Centre, Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute, Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel, Logistics and Supply Chain MultiTech R&D Centre, and Nano and Advanced Materials Institute) and Hong Kong Productivity Council;
- research institutions/ companies at the Hong Kong Science Park and Cyberport; and
- Government departments and the Hospital Authority.
Contacts of the aforementioned organisations
Candidates from organisations or companies other than the above may also be considered by the HKSAR Government.
Payload Specialists will undertake key missions in the National Manned Space Programme. Candidates should be Chinese nationals who are permanent residents of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Candidates and their immediate family members should be patriots who adhere to the principle of “One Country, Two Systems”, uphold the Constitution of the People's Republic of China and the Basic Law, have no criminal records, and are supportive of the manned space programme.
1. Gender: Male or Female
2. Age: 30 – 45 years old in principle
3. Family and marital status: No relevant requirements
4. Physical attributes:
- Male candidates should be 162-175cm tall; female candidates should be 160-175cm tall
- Physically fit with no significant allergies, or past medical history or hereditary diseases which may affect space missions
- Uncorrected visual acuity of at least 0.1 and corrected visual acuity of not less than 0.8 in either eye, with no colour blindness
- Mentally fit
5. Academic discipline and qualifications:
- Doctoral degree holder
- Specialises in discipline(s) including biology, medical, psychology, material sciences, physics, chemistry, biomedical engineering, mechanical engineering, electronic engineering or astronomy, etc.
- At least three years’ professional working experience in relevant discipline(s)
- A good command of Chinese and English with fluent Putonghua
Recruitment period: October 6 – 27, 2022
Steps
(a) Obtain part 1 of the recruitment form:
Candidates who are employees or researchers of universities/ organisations/ companies listed below should obtain part 1 of the recruitment form (Chinese only) from their universities/ organisations/ companies for providing basic personal information including age, academic qualifications and working experiences etc. Click here for contacts of the aforementioned organisations.
- 11 local universities;
- five Government research and development (R&D) centres (including Automotive Platforms and Application Systems R&D Centre, Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute, Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel, Logistics and Supply Chain MultiTech R&D Centre, and Nano and Advanced Materials Institute) and Hong Kong Productivity Council;
- research institutions/ companies at the Hong Kong Science Park and Cyberport; and
- Government departments and the Hospital Authority.
Candidates from other organisations/ companies should send emails with their full names in Chinese, names of organisations/ companies and their own disciplines/ research areas to Innovation and Technology Commission ( psrecruitment@itc.gov.hk) requesting part 1 of the recruitment form.
(b) Submit part 1 of the recruitment form:
Candidates should complete and submit part 1 of the recruitment form to their universities/ organisations/ companies. Universities/ organisations/ companies are required to email the form to Innovation and Technology Commission( psrecruitment@itc.gov.hk) on or before October 27 2022.
(c) Submit part 2 of the recruitment form:
Innovation and Technology Commission will directly email part 2 of the recruitment form (Chinese only) to candidates for collecting their and their family members' health information, family status, other relevant information and declaration. Candidates should complete and email part 2 of the recruitment form to Innovation and Technology Commission ( psrecruitment@itc.gov.hk) on their own within the stipulated time frame.
(d) Undergo medical examinations and mental health assessment:
Candidates who have satisfied basic requirements will be arranged to undergo medical examinations administered by a designated medical institution and an assessment on mental health. Candidates' immediate family members and cohabitants will also be arranged to undergo some of the examinations.
A1: Both local and non-local academic qualifications and working experiences are acceptable; that said, candidates should be conducting research or other works in local universities/ organisations/ companies currently.
A2: No. As the relevant authorities will contact candidates' universities/ organisations/ companies to understand their recent works, research areas and professions, candidates who are not from any universities/ organisations/ companies will not be able to complete the recruitment procedures.
A3: Candidates should complete and submit part 1 of the form together with their proof of academic qualifications, proof of working experiences, ID card copies, and other relevant certificates etc. to Innovation and Technology Commission ( psrecruitment@itc.gov.hk) through their universities/ organisations/ companies.
A4: Payload Specialists will attend training for around two and a half years, while the timing and duration of space missions depend on the mission plans. Training locations will be arranged by relevant national authorities.
A5: Payload Specialists will receive astronaut training subsidies and spaceflight subsidies from the Central Government for training in the China Astronaut Research and Training Center and space missions according to prevailing standards. The HKSAR Government will also coordinate proactively with the universities or organisations concerned on the appropriate arrangements to be offered to the selected candidate(s).
Innovation and Technology Commission
Tel：(852) 3855 7643
Email：psrecruitment@itc.gov.hk
For media enquiries: (852) 3655 4763