(XINHUA)

Wang Yaping has been appointed the only female astronaut of China's new spacecraft Shenzhou-10, scheduled to blast off in June this year. According to Zhou Jianping, head of the country's manned space program, Wang and two male counterparts will participate in the mission.

The spacecraft was delivered to the launch center in Jiuquan, Gansu Province, on March 31 after passing pre-delivery tests.

Born in 1978 in Yantai, a coastal city in east China's Shandong Province, Wang became a pilot at the age of 17. She can fly four types of planes and has taken part in many military exercises and Wenchuan earthquake relief activities in 2008. She was selected to China's first group of female astronauts in 2009 and was one of the two female candidates for Shenzhou-9 in 2012.