China's fourth batch of taikonauts has been selected and will also undertake lunar landing missions in the future, the China Manned Space Agency announced at a press conference on Tuesday.

The country successfully completed the selection process in May. Ten reserve taikonauts have been chosen, comprising eight space pilots and two payload specialists, who joined the training program in August, said Lin Xiqiang, spokesperson for the agency.

They will undergo a comprehensive curriculum featuring over 200 subjects across eight major categories. Notably, they will be trained not only for space station missions but also for the challenges of future crewed lunar landing missions, said Lin.

The training program includes essential skills for living and working in microgravity, maintaining health in such conditions, as well as specialized skills for extravehicular activities, equipment maintenance, and space science experiments and trials.

In preparation for future crewed lunar missions, the program will further enhance the taikonauts' capabilities—from piloting spacecraft to driving lunar rovers, from identifying celestial bodies to conducting geological surveys, and from weightless floating in space to walking with loads on the moon.