FILE: Beijing, China - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Various of taikonauts in training

Beijing, China - April 23, 2018 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
2. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Yang Liwei, director, China Manned Space Engineering Office:
"The category and candidate pool are different, therefore the selection process is very complicated since in the past, we selected taikonauts from air force pilots. We coordinated with the air force, dragged basically qualified candidates into the pool and then selected them through several stages. This time, we will not only select from air force pilots, but also from relevant areas in society."
3. Various of manned space development fund awarding ceremony
4. Yang speaking
5. Attendees
6. Various of philatelic items launching ceremony
7. Various of philatelic items
8. Various of live-streamed activities in other cities

China on Monday launched the selection process for 17 to 18 astronauts for future space station missions as the country celebrated its third Space Day in Beijing.

According to Yang Liwei, Chinese first astronaut and now the director of China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO), 17 to 18 astronauts will be selected to participate in a mission for China's space station after completing comprehensive trainings.

Led by CMSEO, the selection will be implemented by the China Astronaut Research and Training Center.

The astronauts will include pilots as well as engineers and payload specialists.

Besides pilots from the People's Liberation Army Air Force, they will also include aerospace researchers in related industries, research institutes and universities.

Women applicants will also be accepted.

China selected its first group of 14 astronauts in 1998 and the second, a group of seven, in 2010. They have successfully completed six manned space missions.

Yang said that different from previous selections, this time, candidates will not only come from pilots but also from other social organizations.

"The category and candidate pool are different, therefore the selection process is very complicated since in the past, we selected taikonauts from air force pilots. We coordinated with the air force, dragged basically qualified candidates into the pool and then selected them through several stages. This time, we will not only select from air force pilots, but also from relevant areas in society," said Yang.

China plans to start assembling its space station in 2020 in space. It is scheduled to become fully operational around 2022.

During the celebration, a total of 119 representatives who have excelled themselves in the aerospace lab missions were awarded by the Tsang Hin-chi Space Development Fund, a fund established in September 2004 in Hong Kong for the purpose of awarding the excellent Chinese astronauts and attracting more talented people for China's space program.

Space theme-related philatelic items such as stamps and first-day cover were also launched.

Beijing activity attendees also interacted with others who joined the celebration in Xiamen City of east China's Fujian Province and Foshan City of south China's Guangdong Province.

China designated April 24 as Space Day in 2016 to mark the anniversary of the country's first satellite launch Dongfanghong-1 in 1970.