Successful launch for China's unmanned spacecraft Shenzhou-8. [File photo]

China will launch its Shenzhou-9 manned spacecraft at 6:37 p.m. Saturday, sending the country's first female astronaut into space, a spokeswoman said Friday.

Three astronauts, two male and one female, will travel aboard the spacecraft to complete the country's first manual space docking test, said Wu Ping, spokeswoman for China's manned space program, at a press conference at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.

The astronauts are Jing Haipeng, Liu Wang and Liu Yang, who is female, the spokeswoman said.

China's first woman in space

Liu Yang, 33, is a People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force major. She was a veteran pilot with 1,680 hours of flying experience and the deputy head of a flight unit of the PLA's Air Force before being recruited as a potential astronaut in May 2010.

After two years of training, which shored up her astronautic skills and adaptability to the space environment, Liu excelled in testing and was selected in March this year as a candidate for the Shenzhou-9 manned spacecraft mission.

"Generally speaking, female astronauts have better durability, psychological stability and ability to deal with loneliness," Wu said.

More than 50 female astronauts from seven countries have gone into space to date. The longest space flight by a female astronaut lasted 188 days.

All countries that have completed manned space missions have attached great significance to their respective first female astronauts' maiden space flights, Wu said, citing the former Soviet Union's first female astronaut Valentina Tereshkova and Sally Ride, the first U.S. woman in space.

Since this mission marks the first time for China to send a female astronaut into space, the training, medical monitoring, security and equipment designated for female astronauts will also be tested for the first time, Wu said.

Jing, 46, was one of three crew members aboard the Shenzhou-7 in 2008. He will serve as the commander of the Shenzhou-9's crew and become the first Chinese astronaut to travel into space twice.

Liu Wang, 43, also a former pilot, was selected to be trained as an astronaut in January 1998.

Manual docking

The main task of the upcoming mission will be the manual docking procedure conducted between the Shenzhou-9 and the orbiting space lab module Tiangong-1, Wu said.

A successful manual docking will demonstrate China's grasp of essential space rendezvous and docking techniques. It will be a significant step in the current stage of the country's three-phase manned space program and help to establish a solid foundation for the future of the program, Wu said.

It will also mark the country's first attempt to ship supplies and personnel from Earth to the orbiting module, she said.

"We will fully examine whether the Tiangong-1 can meet the needs of our astronauts," she said.

The mission will further test the functions of spacecraft, carrier rocket and orbiting module, as well as the coordination of different systems, she added.

Elaborating on mission procedures, Wu said the spacecraft will separate from the carrier rocket 9 minutes and 45 seconds after the launch and stay on an oval-shaped orbit before attempting an automatic docking procedure with the Tiangong-1 lab.

With the completion of the automatic docking, astronauts will live and work in the Tiangong-1.

The manual docking attempt will take place several days after the automatic docking, the spokeswoman added.

The Tiangong-1 has been lowered to docking orbit and is operating normally, the spokeswoman said.

The space lab module conducted an automatic docking procedure with the unmanned Shenzhou-8 spacecraft late last year.

The spokeswoman also said the Shenzhou-9's upgraded Long March-2F carrier rocket started to be fueled at 5:30 p.m. Friday.

"The final full-system drill has been completed. The astronauts are in a good state and all preparations are in place," Wu said.

The mission is part of preparations for the construction of a space station around 2020. Several components will be sent into space separately before being assembled into a space station through a variety of docking procedures.