Xinhua identifies female astronauts who could be on crew . Either Liu Yang or Wang Yaping -- selected among China 's first batch of women astronauts -- will be among the three-person crew to launch aboard the Shenzhou-9 , according to Xinhua . Launch is planned for mid-June . Comment: The first woman to fly in space was Valentina Tereshkova, a Soviet cosmonaut and the only person ever to have flown into outer space ( Vostok 1 ). China aspires to build space station , conduct manned mission to the moon .
Xinhua identifies female astronauts who could be on crew . Launch is planned for mid-June . Comment: The first woman to fly in space was Valentina Tereshkova, a Soviet cosmonaut and the only person ever to have flown into outer space ( Vostok 1 ). China aspires to build space station , conduct manned mission to the moon .