(131109) -- TIANJIN, Nov. 9, 2013 (Xinhua) -- People look at a model of the Shenzhou-10 manned spacecraft docked with the Tiangong-1 space module during the exhibition in Tianjin, north China, Nov. 9, 2013. The national patrol of the China Manned Space Program Exhibition kicked off here on Saturday, in which more than 100 objects used in China's manned space program were showed to the public. (Xinhua/Li Xiang) (zwx)
Beijing, June 26 (IANS) China will send its second orbiting space lab Tiangong-2 into space in mid September, said a senior official with the country's manned space programme.
The Shenzhou-11 manned spacecraft will be launched in mid September and its re-entry module will return in November, said Wu Ping, deputy director of the manned space engineering office, at a press conference on Saturday after the successful launch of the Long March-7, a new generation carrier rocket, at Wenchang, Hainan province.
As part of the country's space lab programme, the Shenzhou-11 spacecraft will carry two astronauts on board and dock with Tiangong-2.
The two astronauts have been chosen and currently under intense training, Wu said.
The Tiangong-2 and Shenzhou-11 will be carried by Long March-2F carrier rocket, she said.
In April 2017, the country's first cargo spaceship, Tianzhou-1, will be launched and carried by the Long March-7, Wu said.
"With the improvement of the rocket's technological performance, the Long March-7 will step by step replace the current carrier rockets and become the main carrier for space launches," she added.
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