The manned Shenzhou X spacecraft will be launched between June and August and dock with the orbiting Tiangong-1 space module, said a spokesperson for China's manned space program in a news release on Thursday.

"The flight marks the first application of the manned spacecraft system," the spokesperson said.

Previous flights of Shenzhou spacecraft were all experimental, aiming to test technologies and reliability, said a publicity official with the program, who declined to be named.