 The mission's launch was 49 years to the day after that of the first woman in space, cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova.The Shenzhou 9 spacecraft arrived at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the northwestern Gobi Desert on 9 April 2012 and its carrier rocket, the Long March 2F, arrived on 9 May.On 9 June 2012, the Shenzhou 9 spacecraft and its carrier rocket were rolled out to launch pad.