China's first female astronaut to fly on space docking mission

The first female Chinese astronaut will be among the crew launching on the nation's first manned docking mission this month, state media sources say.


The upcoming Shenzhou 9 mission is expected to launch in mid-June, possibly as early as June 16, to dock with China's first space station test module, Tiangong 1, which is already in orbit.

One of the three Chinese astronauts (called taikonauts) on the flight will be chosen from two women candidates — Liu Yang and Wang Yaping — according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua. Both candidates are members of the Chinese Air Force's Wuhan Flight Unit.

Read more: msnbc

Posted in: China, Female Astronaut, June, Space, Space Docking Mission