China will select the third batch¹ of astronauts this year for its manned space exploration plan, according to Yang Liwei, deputy director of the China Manned Space Engineering Office and China's first astronaut to go into space.

中国载人航天工程办公室副主任、我国首位进入太空的航天员杨利伟日前表示，今年，我国将为载人航天探索计划选拔第三批航天员。

"The new batch will have 10 to 12 astronauts, including around two females," Yang said.

杨利伟称：“新一批航天员会选拔10到12人，其中女性为两名左右。”

"Astronauts in the first batch were required to have bachelor's degrees and pilots' license². But now, new astronauts will focus on the engineering side. They should have master's degrees to work as engineers and researchers," Yang said.

杨利伟表示：“过去我们要求首批航天员具备本科学历、拥有飞行员执照。不过现在，新的航天员将重点从工程角度考虑，须为具备研究生学历的工程师和研究员。”

New astronauts might face lower physical standards set for past astronauts in selection and training, but they should have more stable mental endurance, allowing them to work in a small place with heavy work for a long period. Meanwhile, the checks on chronic³ disease will be stricter.

新航天员所面临的选拔与训练的身体素质标准较以前的航天员要低，但他们需具备更稳定的心理承受能力，使其能长期在狭小空间高负荷工作；同时对慢性病的检查也将更加严格。

Yang added that according to an initial plan, China might choose new astronauts every four years depending on the missions and training situations.

杨利伟还表示，按照初步计划，根据任务和训练情况，我国可能每4年选拔一批新航天员。

But the crew of Shenzhou XII will consist of astronauts from the first and second batches⁴, Yang said.

但神舟12号的航天员将由第一、第二批航天员组成。