Astronauts take training. [File photo]

"China faces the challenge of figuring out how to build a spacecraft that will meet all of its astronauts' physical needs, as well as how to train astronauts physically and psychologically to cope with missions," said Pang Zhihao, a researcher and deputy editor-in-chief of the monthly magazine Space International.

A Chinese volunteer, Wang Yue, is currently participating in the Russian "Mars 500" project, which is designed to test the long-term effects of isolation on the crew during a simulated trip to the planet.