JIUQUAN, Gansu Province: China will launch its third manned spacecraft, Shenzhou VII, between Sept 25 and 30, a mission spokesman has said.

One of the three astronauts on the mission will become the first Chinese to walk in space, he said on Saturday. The main mission of the earlier two-member Shenzhou VI was to be in space for more than four days.

The propellant was to have been installed in the spacecraft by later yesterday, the spokesman said. After that the spaceship will be attached to the rocket and transferred to the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu province.