Crossword Genius

Ace astronaut in the team? (4,6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

star player

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'the team?' is the definition.
I know nothing about this answer so I cannot tell whether this works.

'ace astronaut' is the wordplay.
'ace' becomes 'star' (synonyms).
'astronaut' becomes 'player' (I can't explain this - if you can you should believe this answer much more).
'star'+'player'='STAR PLAYER'

'in' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Another definition for star player that I've seen is " Best".)

I've seen this clue in The Irish Independent.
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