JIUQUAN, Gansu Province - China will conduct its first space docking test within two days after launching the Shenzhou-8 unmanned spacecraft, a spokesperson with China's manned space program said Wednesday.

China is preparing to launch the Tiangong-1 on Thursday evening as an unmanned space module awaiting space dockings with the Shenzhou-8, -9 and -10 spacecrafts one after another in the next two years.

The Shenzhou-8 spacecraft is scheduled for launch about one month after the Tiangong-1 successfully enters its low Earth orbit.

The first space docking for China will be conducted when the Tiangong-1 drops from a 350-kilometer-high orbit to a 343-kilometer-high orbit to rendezvous with the Shenzhou-8, spokeswoman Wu Ping said at a press conference held in northwest China's Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.

The Tiangong-1 and Shenzhou-8 will fly for about 12 days after the first docking, and will conduct another docking test at an appropriate time in flight, Wu said.0 ? After the two docking tests, the Shenzhou-8 will return to Earth's surface and the Tiangong-1 will rise to its original orbit to wait for the next docking test, the spokesperson said.

The 8.5-tonne Tiangong-1, with a length of 10.4 meters and maximum diameter of 3.35 meters, is scheduled to be launched by the Long March-2FT1 carrier rocket between 9:16 p.m. and 9:31 p.m., Beijing Time, on Thursday.

The space docking tests and experiments conducted through the Tiangong-1 module will provide experience for China's construction of a permanent manned space station around 2020, Wu said.

According to China's manned space program, the Shenzhou-10 will be a manned spacecraft carrying a Chinese astronaut who will test manual space rendezvous and docking with the Tiangong-1.

The spokesperson said the astronaut for the Shenzhou-10 mission has been selected and is in training.