By Liu Kaixiong and Zheng Mingda

BEIJING, March 4 – Eighteen members of China's third batch of astronauts have already checked in and been ready to enter training, said Major General Yang Liwei, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and deputy director of the China Manned Space Engineering Office, in an interview on March 4.

Unlike the first two batches of astronauts preparing for missions during the construction period, the third batch of astronauts are mainly prepared for the flight missions during the space station’s operation period.

Yang said that China's space station has entered the phase of comprehensive construction this year and the works at all fronts have been progressing well. "In the first half of this year, we will launch the core module, the Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft, and the Shenzhou-12 manned craft. In the second half, we will launch the Tianzhou-3 and Shenzhou-13," said Yang Liwei.  

"Space flights will be normalized. The first and second batches of astronauts are currently ready for missions at any time. The third batch will have to go through three to four years of systematic training before they can have the capability to perform missions," Maj. Gen. Yang added.

According to previous media reports, the selection of the third-batch astronauts for China's manned space program began in May 2018, and out of about 2,500 candidates, 18 qualified astronauts (including one female) were chosen, among whom 7 will work as spacecraft pilots, another 7 as flight engineers and the last 4 as payload experts.