(Yicai Global) Oct. 19 -- Commercialization can offer a useful complement to a space station’s operation, a senior Chinese space agency official said, as the country prepares to build its first orbital platform.

China will make the most of the space stations’ comprehensive benefits to achieve breakthroughs in commercial development, global collaboration and popular science education, Hao Chun, director of the China Manned Space Engineering Office, told a forum in Wuhan today.

China plans to complete work of its first space station by 2022. Eleven launch missions are planned for the next two years, including sending up the Tianhe core module and lab modules, as well as four Shenzhou manned flights and four Tianzhou payload flights to finish the station’s in-orbit construction.

Selection of a third group of reserve astronauts for China’s manned space program has been completed, with a total of 18 candidates chosen, according to the CMSEO. Seven are pilots, seven are engineers, and the other four are payload specialists.

Hao also said China is strengthening its positioning and planning in the fields of space station supplies, research and development of applied payloads, release of small satellites, in-orbit maintenance and space tourism, and is gradually developing ways to cooperate that are in the interests of all parties.

Editor: Peter Thomas