A 35-year-old airforce pilot is all set to be China's second woman astronaut on board the manned spacecraft 'Shenzhou X' mission planned for this month, official media reported today.
Wang Yaping, who missed the chance last year will join the three-person crew and become China's second woman astronaut sent to space after Liu Yang, who was on board the 'Shenzhou IX' last year, official China Daily reported.
"Wang is highly likely to be sent to space if she is in good condition," Zhang Jianqi, Director General of the China Space Foundation and former Deputy Commander of the country's manned space programme, said.
Wang and Liu were both selected as candidates for the 'Shenzhou IX' mission. Wang then became Liu's backup.
'Shenzhou-X' will space lab module Tiangong-1 to carry out the second round of experiments.
The experimental module is being built by China to set up its own space lab by 2020 to rival Mir, the international space station being manned by Russian and American astronauts.
Wang, a native of Yantai, East China's Shandong province, was selected as a pilot at the age of 17. She participated in the rescue work after the Sichuan earthquake in 2008 and piloted the aircraft for the artificial rain mission during the Beijing Olympic Games.
The 'Shenzhou X' spacecraft, carried by a Long March-2F rocket, was transported to the launch site in Jiuquan, Northwest China's Gansu province.
The spacecraft, which will be launched in mid-June from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, will dock with the lab module Tiangong-1.
