On June 11, 2013, China launched its fifth manned space mission which will have three astronauts. The astronaut team, including the second only female astronaut of China will carry out experiments in space over 15 days. The Shenzhou-10 spacecraft took off from the Jiuquan Satellite Centre in northwestern Gansu province at 5:38 pm on Tuesday, June 10, 2013.
The spacecraft will be docking with the space laboratory module. This is a 15-day mission and will be China’s second manned docking mission after the Shenzhou-9 launch back in June 2012. This mission will mark the longest one yet for the country, which is rapidly advancing in terms of space programs.
This is also perceived as an important step towards the country’s plans to build a space station by the year 2020. The launch of the Shenzhou-9 has also created history by carrying into space the first woman from China, Liu Yang. Yang is an Air Force pilot at People’s Liberation Army.
Wang Yaping will be in charge of monitoring conditions, space experiments and will also be taking care of the fellow crew members on this mission. Wang is accompanied by Nie Haisheng, a Major General in the PLA, who was also a part of the Shenzhou-6 mission in 2005.
