Hangeng Going Into Outer Space? The Former Super Junior Member Passed NASA Space Camp, Named Space Expedition's Ambassador

Now that K-Pop can be found all around the world, the Korean Wave has its sights set on the rest of the universe! Well, maybe not exactly - but the first K-Pop singer may be headed into space before the year is over.

Former Super Junior member Hangeng has qualified for a trip into outer space organized by Space Expedition Corporation. The Dutch organization has teamed up with Chinese company Lynx to send non-professional Chinese travelers into space by the end of 2014, explained a report by China's People's Daily last month.

Hangeng, who officially left the popular SM Entertainment idol group in 2011 after nearly two-year-long legal battle over his contract, has maintained a successful entertainment career in his native China for the past several years and will be the only pop star joining the trip into space.

The former Super Junior-M leader qualified for the expedition after winning a worldwide competition that tested his ability to handle the conditions of space travel.

Reports have indicated that Hangeng made it through a series of tests to finally be chosen as one of the passengers headed out of this world later this year.

After becoming one of China's three candidates for the commercial flight to space, the popular Chinese singer attended a NASA space camp in Orlando, Florida where he reportedly performed well on his training missions and earned the qualifications for the trip.

Hangeng revealed through his personal Weibo account that he ultimately did not win the Lynx Space Academy Competition while in Florida, but due to his widespread popularity, was later offered the title of ambassador to the Lynx Space Trip and offered a spot among the two dozen expected travelers.

There is no launch date scheduled as of yet, but the Space Exploration Corporation plans to kick off its regular space flights in the XCOR Lynx Spacecraft before the end of this year.

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Super Junior M
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