"We are thankful to the European Space Agency to sign the requesting party agreement today, in the framework of which, Hungarian SMEs will have […] access to EUR 2 mln continuously for five years on an annual basis to enhance and improve their role in the European space industry," Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said at a ministerial-level meeting of the agency in Paris this week.

"We also take advantage of the industrial policy taskforce we have established together with ESA in order to enhance Hungarian participation in the programs of the space agency," he added. 

Szijjártó noted that Hungary is preparing to send the second Hungarian astronaut to space under a EUR 100 mln program in cooperation with the U.S. company Axiom Space. The astronaut will go on a 30-day research trip in orbit at the end of 2024 or the beginning of 2025, he said. Some 12 Hungarian devices will be tested on the trip. 

The minister noted that a call to become the next Hungarian astronaut had drawn 244 applicants, including 39 women. He added that that number has been narrowed down to eight and will be cut to four by year-end.