Photo taken on June 13, 2012 shows the lauching tower of Shenzhou-9 spacecraft in Jiuquan, northwest China's Gansu Province. 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. (Xinhua/Li Gang)
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China's Shenzhou-9 manned spacecraft in final preparations for mid-June launch
JIUQUAN, Gansu, June 13 (Xinhua) --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. Full Story
Shenzhou-9 enters final pre-launch phase
JIUQUAN, Gansu, June 13 (Xinhua) -- The Shenzhou-9 went into the final phase of pre-launch preparations on Wednesday ahead of China's first manned space docking mission, as its carrier rocket is being injected with propellant.
The Command Hall of the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center is in "ready to launch" status, according to Wang Jun, who will be responsible for turning the ignition key during the actual launch. Full Story
