China will launch the Shenzhou VIII spacecraft in early November at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwest China.

The spacecraft is expected to perform China's first space docking with Tiangong-1, or Heavenly Palace-1, a space lab module that was launched in September from the same launch center.

The Shenzhou VIII spacecraft and the carrier rocket, Long March-2F, are being vertically transferred to the launch pad at the center, marking the countdown of the blasting off of the unmanned spacecraft.