The HUNOR – Hungarian Astronaut Program begins the two-year training of Hungary's newly established professional astronaut corps with a doctor and three engineers. At today's press conference of the research astronaut program, the four candidates ‒ Gyula Cserényi, Tibor Kapu, Dr. Ádám Schlégl, and András Szakály ‒ were introduced, one of whom will participate in a nearly one-month scientific mission on board the International Space Station.
In her opening speech, Dr. Orsolya Ferencz, the ministerial commissioner for space research, emphasized Hungary's return to space. She pointed out that based on the strong catalytic effect of Bertalan Farkas' spaceflight on Hungarian scientific development in 1980, the main objective of the current astronaut program is to place Hungarian science and high-tech industry on a long-term upward trajectory.
Prof. Dr. Miklós Maróth, the President of the Eötvös Loránd Research Network, stated that the Government has designated the Space Research Laboratory of the ELKH Centre for Energy Research, the most significant Hungarian space research and space technology site to coordinate, execute, and professionally lead this complex program. The HUNOR Program has added astronaut selection, training, and experimentation on the International Space Station to the wide range of capabilities available at ELKH.
Gábor Magyari, the professional leader responsible for the selection and training of the astronaut corps in the HUNOR Program, emphasized that the 240 valid applications received were narrowed down to the four trainee astronauts presented today in accordance with the requirements of the European Space Agency, NASA, the International Space Station, and the program's private industry partner, Axiom Space. During the nearly year-long selection process, the intellectual performance, physical endurance, stability of personality, and ability to work collaboratively in a team, as well as lead when necessary, were tested among the candidates,
Afterwards, the four trainee astronauts who passed all tests were called in front of cameras, listed as follows by name: Gyula Cserényi, a 33-year-old electrical engineer, Tibor Kapu, a 31-year-old space industry development engineer, Dr. Ádám Schlégl, a 33-year-old clinical orthopedic surgeon, and András Szakály, a 40-year-old aerospace design engineer.
In response to the moderator's questions, András Szakály highlighted the potential of the HUNOR Program with optimism, stating that the emerging technological and scientific developments can provide more professional challenges in Hungary for excellent Hungarian engineers in accordance with their capabilities.
Dr. Ádám Schlégl expects that due to scientific advancements in telemedicine, the HUNOR Program will be able to save even more human lives than the daily surgeries performed performed today. Gyula Cserényi confidently views the risks of the mission as he did with previous decision-making situations in his work. He added: "The principle that no one ever gives an order that they would not carry out themselves provides security." Tibor Kapu, on behalf of the entire team, declared that they are determined to face the challenges of the next two years.
The goal of the HUNOR – Hungarian Astronaut Program is to send a Hungarian research astronaut to the International Space Station, where he will carry out primarily domestically developed scientific experiments for nearly a month.