Beijing: Buoyed by the success of China`s first woman cosmonaut in achieving the country`s first manned docking, Beijing today said it will send more women astronauts into space in the future.
Encouraged by the enthusiasm generated by the space entry of 33-year-old Liu Yang, the first woman in China to do so, Chen Shanguang, director of the Chinese Astronaut Research and Training Centre said China will continue to send female astronauts into space in future space missions.
China has selected several woman pilots along with their male colleagues from airforce to train them for future space missions.
"A specific plan for selecting crew members for the Shenzhou-10 mission will be selected after research is completed," Chen said.
China`s astronaut trio, including its first woman cosmonaut, returned to Earth safely today after accomplishing the country`s first-ever manual docking that helped it join the exclusive US-Russia club.
China plans to set up its own space station by 2020.
PTI
