The Shenzhou-18 crew will be composed of Chinese astronauts Ye Guangfu, designated mission commander, Li Cong and Li Guangsu, the CMSA said at a press conference today. The astronauts plan to conduct "two to three extravehicular activities and six cargo exits during their six-month stay in orbit," the agency said. In addition to the crewed mission, Shenzhou-18 will carry experimental equipment and related samples to carry out the country's first space-based aquatic ecological research project, according to the agency. The project, focusing on zebrafish and hornwort (Ceratophyllum demersum), aims to establish a stable and circulating aquatic ecosystem in space, the CMSA said. In the same announcement, the agency said that China is finalizing the selection of the fourth group of "taikonauts" (as Chinese astronauts are known), who will be responsible for the next tasks in the Chinese space station, called Tiangong ("Heavenly Palace" in Mandarin), and later the country's manned lunar landing missions. The Chinese space agency also said that it will accelerate research and encourage the participation of foreign astronauts and space tourists in flights to the space station. The Shenzhou-17 crew, composed of Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin, is expected to return to Earth on April 30. The Shenzhou-17 crew, which lifted off on Oct. 26, replaced the Shenzhou-16 crew, who spent six months on the station. China's space station is expected to operate for about 15 years in orbit, about 400 kilometers above Earth's surface. In 2024, it is likely to become the world's only space station if the International Space Station, a U.S.-led project from which China has been barred due to the Chinese space program's military ties, is retired that year as planned. Beijing has invested heavily in its space program over the past decade and has achieved major milestones, such as successfully landing a probe on the far side of the moon in January 2019, a feat no other country had accomplished to date. Read Also: NASA procura forma mais rápida e barata de trazer amostras de Marte (Portuguese version)