The Shenzhou-10 manned spacecraft will be launched at 5.38pm tomorrow, said China’s manned space programme spokesperson today.

The spacecraft will take three astronauts consisting of two male and one female into space, said Wu Ping, the programme’s spokesperson at a press conference at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre.

The astronauts are Nie Haisheng, Zhang Xiaoguang and Wang Yaping, Xinhua news agency reported.

The spacecraft will travel in space for 15 days and go through two docking tests with the orbiting space lab module Tiangong-1, one automatic and the other manual.

Besides medical and technical tests, the astronauts will give a lecture to a group of students on the ground inside the Tiangong-1.

The Tiangong-1 space lab has been in a stable condition and ready for docking tests and receiving astronauts.

“The launch ground and all control systems are ready. Astronauts are in good and stable condition,” Wu said.

The mission aims to further test technologies of docking and supporting the astronauts’ stay in space and try new technologies related to the construction of space station.

- Bernama