"Estronaut" contestants Saara Margaret Kaju, Leene Martoja, and Eva Nora Notton shared their dreams of reaching the stars when they appeared on Sunday's edition of "Hommik Anuga."

Leene Martoja has also taken part in girls' tech club Unicorn Squad.

At one time, was the only girl in her previous tech interest group, she said. "I didn't let it bother me that there were only boys; I focused on what I truly enjoyed," Leene recalled.

All three girls said they are not put off by the potential loneliness of the emptiness of space.

Saara Margaret Kaju said that while her classmates used to dream of becoming teachers or veterinarians, their horizons, too, have expanded thanks to the Unicorn Squad, headed up by Saara Margaret's mother.

She added that she is fascinated by the vastness of the cosmos. "You never know where the furthest point is."

"It's such a limitless and mysterious place. If something were to happen to our world, then it's also the place we look to on how to continue," Leene went on.

"Maybe you feel alone, but at the same time, it feels very unified; for example, the strong connection you would get to the ground team helping you in space, or all your loved ones back on Earth. It actually kind of binds you," Saara Margaret remarked.

Last year, Saara Margaret got to meet U.S. astronaut Nicole Aunapu Mann, "She was definitely inspiring. She spoke in great detail about what it felt like to rise high into the air," Kaju said of meeting Mann, who has Estonian ancestry.

The "Estronaut" competition will 50 young people aged 13-19 competing for 10 spots to travel to France to do space training, including going up in a plane which will fly a parabolic trajectory, to give them a taste of weightlessness.

The competition aims to motivate young people to pursue further studies in the field and promote the development of deep tech in Estonia.

Eva Nora Notton said she has already exceeded her own expectations in the course of the "Estronaut" competition. "I feel like I've already won. I've trained and learned so much, and have read a lot too."

The participants have completed three stages so far, with two more to go, the next being at the Estonian Aviation Academy (Eesti Lennuakadeemia) in Tartu.

The final selection is due to be made by the end of August.

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