Hungary will send an astronaut to the International Space Station (ISS) by 2025, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said on Friday.
In a video message on Facebook, Szijjártó said Hungary will be sending the astronaut to the ISS in cooperation with the United States.
The astronaut will travel to the ISS to conduct scientific experiments using Hungarian-made equipment, he added.
The equipment to be used for telecommunications, Earth observation and measuring radiation will be developed by the domestic companies and universities participating in the programme, the minister said.
Though the companies and universities taking part in the programme have accumulated a significant amount of knowledge over the years, the space industry has so far not received nearly the amount of attention it deserves, he added.
One reason to change this, Szijjártó said, was to strengthen Hungary’s high value-added sectors, particularly the ones that are already well established.
Featured photo illustration via Pixabay
