The China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) has announced that it has selected 18 new astronauts. This marks the end of a process that started in May 2018 and which initially involved 2 500 candidates. While the CMSA’s two previous astronaut training programmes were open only to People’s Liberation Army Air Force pilots, this one was also open to civilians.

The new group of astronauts is composed of 17 men and only one woman. They comprise seven pilots, four payload specialists and seven spaceflight engineers. No details were released about them. (The CMSA is subordinated to the People’s Liberation Army and its astronaut information flow is often restricted.)

The new astronauts are required for the country’s national space station project. This will be assembled from various modules to be launched into space in the coming years. A key precursor to the space station programme was the development of the Long March 5B heavy-lift launch rocket. This was successfully test flown in May.

The core module of the space station is designated Tianhe; it will provide the main accommodation for the space station crew. Tianhe, with a docking module attached, is scheduled for launch by a Long March 5B during the first semester of next year. The station will orbit at an altitude of some 380 km.

Subsequently two experimental modules will be launched, being attached to Tianhe by means of the docking module. It is expected that the construction of the space station will be completed in 2023. 

Astronauts will be carried to the station in Shenzhou spacecraft launched by Long March 2F rockets. Long March 7 launch rockets will also be involved in supporting the space station programme. Tianhe will be resupplied by Tianzhou automated cargo spacecraft. It is believed that the space station will normally have a crew of three astronauts, on six month-long missions.