China's new manned spacecraft reaches launch center

BEIJING - China's new manned spacecraft Shenzhou-10, scheduled to blast off in early June this year, was delivered to the launch center in Jiuquan, Gansu province, on Sunday after passing pre-delivery tests, China's manned space program announced.

The rocket which will carry it is undergoing various pre-delivery preparations.

Shenzhou-10 will operate both automated and manual space docking with target orbiter Tiangong-1, conducting scientific experiments in the lab module and giving science lectures to spectators on Earth.

Tiangong-1 was sent into space in September 2011. It docked with the Shenzhou-8 unmanned spacecraft in November 2011 and the manned Shenzhou-9 in June last year, verifying China's space docking capabilities.

China's manned space program said Tiangong-1 is operating in good shape, and is capable of the mission.