China to launch manned space mission Crew of three astronauts, to dock with an orbitting module, could include its first female space traveller

China to launch manned space mission

Crew of three astronauts, to dock with an orbitting module, could include its first female space traveller

Beijing: China will launch three astronauts this month to dock with an orbiting experimental module, and the crew might include its first female space traveller, a government news agency said Saturday. A rocket carrying the Shenzhou 9 spacecraft was moved to a launch pad in China's desert northwest on Saturday for the mid-June flight, the Xinhua News Agency said, citing a space program spokesman. The three-member crew will dock with and live in the Tiangong 1 orbital module launched last year, Xinhua said. The government has not said how long the mission will last. Xinhua cited Niu Hongguang, deputy commander in chief of the manned space program, as saying the crew "might include female astronauts." The government said in 2010 that two female air force pilots had joined the astronaut program but has disclosed no other details. China's space program has made steady progress since a 2003 launch that made it only the third nation to put a man in space on its own. Two more manned missions have followed, one including a space walk. China completed its first space rendezvous in November when the unmanned Shenzhou 8 docked with the Tiangong 1 by remote control.Tiangong 1 was launched on September 29. Over the next few days, scientists will test the Shenzhou 9 spacecraft, the Long March 2F rocket and ground systems, Xinhua said.