China to Launch Manned Spacecraft: Another Step Closer to a Space Station

China is planning on launching three men into space in an experimental space module this summer. The mission will take place sometime between June and August and is the latest part of the country's ambitious plan to build a space station.

The spacecraft, named the Shenzhou-10, will launch with its crew from a remote site in the Gobi desert. After blasting into space, the craft will dock with the orbiting lab module Tiangong-1, which was sent into space in September 2011. So far, the lab module has docked with the Shenzhou-8 unmanned spacecraft and the Shenzhou-9 manned spacecraft, which makes the Shenzhou-10 just the latest in a string of dockings.

Even so, this new mission does have important implications for the future. The crew plans to further assess the performance of the docking system, and the combination's capabilities for supporting both life and work in space. The findings could pave the way to creating a Chinese space station.

In addition to assessing the mechanical capabilities of living in space, astronauts will also assess their own abilities to adapt to the environment in the space module. 

Currently, China plans to build its own space station around the year 2020, yet they're far behind other nations when it comes to the space race. Other space superpowers, such as the United States and Russia, have been manning the International Space Station for over a decade. As of July 2012, there have been 125 launches to the space station since the launch of the first module, Zarya, in 1998. Since then, the ISS has grown, containing more livable room than a conventional five-bedroom house, complete with two bathrooms, a gymnasium and a 360-degree bay window.

Even so, this summer's launch is a step forward for China, and shows the country's growing prowess in space. In contrast, the space programs in the U.S. are starting to lag as priorities shift and budgets are constrained.

In addition to creating a space station, China also hopes to conduct an unmanned moon landing, and a deployment of a moon rover in the future.