AlQa'dah 15, 1432, Oct 13, 2011, SPA -- The launch of the unmanned Chinese spaceship Shenzhou 8 is planned for November 1, dpa quoted sources as saying Thursday. The spacecraft is planned to carry out the first Chinese docking in space with the space module Tiangong 1, which has been orbiting the Earth for two weeks. These are the first steps on the way to the construction and operation of a Chinese space station planned for around 2020. Two days after its launch, Shenzhou 8 should dock with Tiangong 1 343 kilometres above the Earth. Shenzhou 8 was scheduled to remain docked with Tiangong 1 for 12 days. Another docking manoeuvre was due to be practised before the craft lands back on Earth in northern China's Inner Mongolia region. Two more flights were planned for next year to the 8.5-ton, 10-metre-long test platform. Astronauts were due to be on board by then and use the module as a mini-space station. A Chinese female astronaut was reportedly also due to fly for the first time. China plans an ambitious space programme. It is building a satellite network for its own global navigation system, has the moon in its sights and plans journeys deeper into space. An unmanned moon landing is planned in two years. China is also developing a high-performance rocket. It is planning its third space centre on the southern island of Hainan.
