China’s Manned Spacecraft in Final Preparations for Mid-June Launch
China’s Shenzhou-9 manned spacecraft is in final preparations for its launch in mid-June, paving the way for China’s first manned space docking mission, as well as the country’s first space mission featuring a female astronaut. The mission will feature the country’s first attempt at manual space docking with the orbiting Tiangong-1 lab module, as well as tasks to be completed aboard the Tiangong-1 by astronauts from the Shenzhou-9, space experts said at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China’s Gobi desert.
China will launch the Shenzhou-9 spacecraft sometime in mid-June, a spokesperson said last Saturday.
“The launch of the Shenzhou-9 is a highly influential event that marks an important milestone for the development of China’s space technology,” Cui Jijun, director of the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, said on Wednesday.