China will start to recruit and train the third generation of its astronauts beginning next year and will turn engineers into space fliers.

我国从明年起将启动第三批航天员的选拔和培训工作，工程师将"变身"航天员。

Huang Weifen, a deputy chief designer with the Astronaut Center of China, revealed the plan at a news conference in Beijing last Friday about three hours after two Chinese astronauts returned to Earth from their monthlong space journey.

中国航天员中心副总设计师黄伟芬上周五在北京的一个新闻发布会上透露了这一计划，当时距我国两名航天员完成一个月的太空之旅，返回地面刚过去约三个小时。

Huang said that to meet the requirements for a future space station, they will expand the candidates' scope, by selecting not only pilots from the Chinese Air Force but also engineers in the space industry.

黄伟芬说，为满足未来空间站的需要，他们会扩大候选者的范围，不仅要从空军中选飞行员，还要从航天工业中选工程技术人员。

Those engineers will be trained to become spaceflight technicians to take part in future missions.

这些工程技术人员将被培训成航天飞行技师，参与未来的任务。

The preparatory work is proceeding¹ well, she said, adding that the success of the Shenzhou XI-Tiangong II mission has shown that China is now able to support astronauts' long-term stay in space.

她表示，筹备工作进展顺利。此外她还表示，神舟十一号与天宫二号任务的成功已经表明，中国现在完全能够支持航天员在太空中长时间停留。

Also at the news conference, Wang Zhaoyao, the agency's director, said that the country will launch its first cargo² spacecraft³, Tianzhou 1, in the first half of next year to dock with Tiangong II.

同样是在该新闻发布会上，中国载人航天工程办公室主任王兆耀表示，我国将在明年上半年发射第一艘货运飞船天舟一号，与天宫二号完成对接。