Several Hongkongers have made it through to the final selection round to join the nation's space programme, Innovation and Technology Secretary Sun Dong revealed on Wednesday.

For the first time, central authorities invited applications from Hong Kong and Macau residents last year for roles as payload specialists in future space missions.

Sun said over a hundred Hongkongers originally signed up, and several are still in the running.

"I'm pleased to share that several candidates from Hong Kong have progressed to the final round of selection. And it's not just one person: we have both men and women representing the city amongst the finalists," he said.

"Next month, officials from the mainland will come to Hong Kong to do further assessment of the potential candidates. We're hopeful of an announcement with good news by the end of this year."