JIUQUAN - 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.