The foreign minister has confirmed that Hungary will send an astronaut to the International Space Station (ISS) by 2025.
In a video message posted on Facebook, Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said Hungary would 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 program. Though the companies and universities taking part in the program 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, Minister Szijjártó said, was to strengthen Hungary’s high value-added sectors, particularly the ones that are already well established.