China set for space mission of first woman astronaut

Liu Yang will look after the medical experiments during the mission

Liu Wang (L), Jing Haipeng (C) and Liu Yang make up the crew of Shenzhou-9

The Long March rocket has undergone a number of modifications since it last carried humans into orbit. 

China is about to launch its fourth manned space mission.

It is sending a crew of three, including the nation's first female astronaut, to the orbiting Tiangong space lab. Read More...Exclusives

Their Shenzhou-9 capsule is set to lift off from the Jiuquan spaceport on the edge of the Gobi desert at 18:37 local time (10:37 GMT; 1137 BST).

The Long March rocket has undergone a number of
modifications since it last carried humans into orbit

A Long March 2F rocket will put the astronauts on a path to dock with Tiangong in a couple of days' time.

They will then spend over a week living and working in orbit before returning to Earth.

The mission is commanded by Jing Haipeng, who is making his second spaceflight after participating in the Shenzhou-7 outing in 2008 - the mission that included China's first spacewalk.

Jing's flight engineers are both first-timers.

Source: BBC