Malaysia's first astronaut and his back-up have said neither will marry a partner until after the country's first space mission has been completed in 2008, state media said Friday. Astronaut Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, a 34-year-old doctor and his back-up, army dentist Faiz Khaleed, 26, said that shunning nuptials would help keep their minds on the mission.
"At least we can focus on our mission because what we are doing now is for the country," Sheikh Muszaphar was quoted as saying by the state Bernama news agency.
Sheikh Muszaphar, whose good looks have also landed him modelling jobs, said he had a sweetheart but she understood the demands of the mission.
Science and Technology Minister Jamaluddin Jarjis said during the week both men had signed contracts which forbade them to tie the knot until 2008, well after the blast-off date in September next year.
"It is to ensure that we focus on the programme. It is quite good that it is one of the clauses in the contract," said Faiz, who declined to reveal if he had plans to get married in the near future.
Sheikh Muszaphar earlier this month was announced as the winner of a nationwide hunt to be Malaysia's first astronaut, a contest which drew tens of thousands of hopefuls.
He will blast off on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft and visit the International Space Station in September 2007.
The project was conceived in 2003 when Russia agreed to send a Malaysian to the space station as part of a billion-dollar purchase of 18 Sukhoi 30-MKM fighter jets.
Source: Agence France-Presse
