BEIJING - A five-year scientific research program to prepare Chinese astronauts for long-term missions in space has been approved and will begin later this year, Director of the Astronaut Center of China Chen Shanguang said on Monday.

The program aims to establish astronauts' operational and decision-making abilities in space, along with any psychological and physical changes they undergo living in cramped compartments in weightless conditions, Chen told China Daily on Monday.

"China will build a space station in 10 years and will probably carry out manned explorations of deep space in the future," he said, adding that the challenge is to figure out how to enable astronauts to remain healthy and work efficiently over prolonged periods in space.