Twelve candidates from China, including four females, have been selected for interviews in the next step of the Mars One project, China National Radio reported on Friday.

They are part of the 705 candidates, chosen from 202,586 applicants across the world, awaiting interviews.

Mars One, a Dutch non-profit project co-founded in 2013 by Bas Lansdorp, a Dutch entrepreneur, aims to establish a permanent manned station on Mars. Crews of four will depart Earth for the remote planet every two years, starting in 2024.

The organizers promised that "a reliable living environment will be waiting for the astronauts when they leave Earth". A demonstration mission, communication satellites, two rovers and several cargo missions will be sent to Mars ahead of the selected astronauts.

The journey to the Red Planet will take at least seven months.

After landing, astronauts will have to cope with intense radiation and hazardous temperatures and have no way of returning, based on existing technology.

Communication with the Earth will be also problematic as radio signals, depending on the alignment of the planets, can take between 4-21 minutes.

The interview process will divide the candidates into several four-member groups and they have to show their ability to survive extreme conditions and cooperate with others in cramped living arrangements.

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