Wu Ping, deputy director of China's manned space engineering office, addresses a press conference at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, Oct. 16, 2016. The Shenzhou-11 manned spacecraft will be launched at 7:30 a.m. Oct. 17, 2016 Beijing Time (2330 GMT Oct. 16). The spaceship will take two male astronauts Jing Haipeng and Chen Dong into space. The spacecraft will dock with orbiting space lab Tiangong-2 within two days and the astronauts will stay in the space lab for 30 days before returning to Earth. The 50-year-old Jing will be commander of the mission. It will be the first spaceflight of 38-year-old Chen and Jing Haipeng's third. (Xinhua/Li Gang)
JIUQUAN, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- The Shenzhou-11 manned spacecraft will be launched at 7:30 a.m. Monday Beijing Time, China's manned space program spokesperson said Sunday.
The spaceship will take two male astronauts Jing Haipeng and Chen Dong into space, said Wu Ping, deputy director of China's the manned space engineering office, at a press conference at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.
The mission will be carried out with a Long March-2F carrier rocket, Wu said.
The spacecraft will dock with orbiting space lab Tiangong-2 within two days, and the astronauts will stay in the space lab for 30 days, she said.
After that the Shenzhou-11 spaceship will separate with Tiangong-2 and return to Earth within one day, Wu said.
