Next Hungarian astronaut has been selected!
Text: defence.hu/MTI | Photo: Kinga Szováthy, MTI, Facebook page of the Hungarian to Orbit – HUNOR Program | 13:14 May 27, 2024The next Hungarian astronaut has been selected. Tibor Kapu may become the Hungarian to go to space –Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky recently announced on his social media page. The Hungarian Defence Forces have played a major role in preparing the astronauts.
Forty-four years ago, Bertalan Farkas became the first Hungarian astronaut, and now the next Hungarian mission is in the offing, as the government has launched a national scientist astronaut program in the interest of perfecting scientific and industrial developments and achievements. Based on decades-long experiences and traditions, Hungarian space industry belongs to the advanced national industrial sectors, and the tests to be carried out will greatly help the development of high-tech sectors with high added value such as, for example, the health sciences.
Altogether 240 persons applied for the mission, of whom the experts finally chose four candidates during a very complex process. The candidates underwent substantial training from space dynamics to light aircraft flying training to various physical endurance tests and scientific work.
During last night, having considered all kinds of aspects, the expert committee made its final decision, which is that 32-year-old mechanical engineer Tibor Kapu can be the next Hungarian scientist astronaut. For the most part, he has so far worked in the automotive industry, mainly in the field of car battery development. In order to make sure that the mission will take place no matter what, a backup astronaut has also been selected in the person of 35-year-old electrical engineer Gyula Cserényi. The two selectees will undergo the last phase of the training, the minister added.
They will have to carry out very serious tasks that are testing in terms of both physical and mental endurance, as, for example, the next Hungarian astronaut must endure, in the tight confines of a capsule, a 48-hour flight to the International Space Station. The selectees are soon going to travel to the USA, where NASA and a contracted company called Axiom Space will provide them with the last phase of their training. The other two candidates, who were competing until the last moment, will assist with the work of the mission in leading positions on the staff of the ground-based mission control center.
