Sometime this month, China will be sending three taikonauts up to the Heavenly Palace, aka the Tiangong-1 space station module, to perform a manual docking and some science experiments. One of these taikonauts will also be China's first woman in space, and she'll smell great.

The Shenzhou-9 spacecraft will launch from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China sometime this month, sending a crewed capsule to rendezvous with the Tiangong-1 space station module for some unspecified amount of time to perform some unspecified science experiments. The first uncrewed docking was accomplished last November, and China is making slow but stead progress toward its goal of having a permanent manned station in orbit by 2020, about the same time as the ISS is scheduled to be decommissioned.

As far as the makeup of the three-person crew on the Shenzou-9 mission goes, Xinhua news is reporting that one woman (of two possible female candidates from the Chinese air force) will be going, "because of their excellent flight skills and psychological quality."

Xinuha makes no mention of all of the other requirements for China's female astronauts, which apparently includes being married, having only given birth naturally, not having any scars, and smelling like puppies and flowers and unicorns and springtime and happiness. Because that all matters for space travel.

Via Xinha and AFP