China has sent its first woman into space on a mission to dock with an orbiting station, the latest step in an ambitious programme to go to the moon and on to Mars.

Photo: China's first female astronaut Liu Yang, waves during a sending off ceremony before she departs for the Shenzhou 9 spacecraft rocket launch pad at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan, China, Saturday, June 16, 2012. China will send its first woman and two other astronauts into space Saturday to work on a temporary space station for about a week, in a key step toward becoming only the third nation to set up a permanent base in orbit. (Photo by Ng Han Guan/AP Photo)

Israeli soldiers pray at dawn as the conflict between Palestine and Gaza enters its seventh day on November 20, 2012 on Israel's border with the Gaza Strip. Hamas militants and Israel are continuing talks aimed at a ceasefire as the death toll in Gaza reaches more than 100 and also three Israelis killed by rockets fired by Palestinian militants. (Photo by Christopher Furlong)

A swimmer stops short of a red algae bloom at Sydney's Clovelly Beach on November 27, 2012, which closed some beaches for swimming including Bondi Beach for a period of time. While the red algae, known as Noctiluca scintillans or sea sparkle, has no toxic effects, people are still advised to avoid swimming in areas with discoloured water because the algae, which can be high in ammonia, can cause skin irritation. (Photo by William West/AFP Photo)

Animal rights activists, including musician Kris Reichert, center, hold up signs with writing in Italian reading; “Leather: a lethal look” and “I wouldn't wear animal skin even if I were dead” as they stage a demonstration in front of Milan's Duomo gothic cathedral, Italy, Wednesday, September 20, 2017. Milan Fashion Week previews kick off Wednesday with Gucci, leading up to the awards on Sunday night. (Photo by Luca Bruno/AP Photo)

In this September 27, 2017 file photo, girls walk past a wall riddled with bullet holes from shootings between rival drug traffickers, at the Rocinha slum, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Violence is on the rise in Rio's slums after several years of decline, and the killings of kids have shocked even residents long inured to deaths from gangs and police. (Photo by Silvia Izquierdo/AP Photo)

Thai Princess Bajrakitiyabha (R) and Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana take part in the funeral procession for the late Thai king Bhumibol Adulyadej in Bangkok on October 26, 2017 A sea of black- clad mourners massed across Bangkok' s historic heart early on October 26 as funeral rituals began for King Bhumibol Adulyadej, a revered monarch whose passing after a seven- decade reign has left Thailand bereft of its only unifying figure. (Photo by Damir Sagolj/Reuters)

In this photo taken in October 1917, provided by Russian State Documentary Film and Photo Archive, a machine gunner looks through a window at his position near the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia. The 1917 Bolshevik Revolution was long before the digital revolution allowed anyone to instantly document events. But the clumsy cameras of the time still caught some images that capture the period's drama. (Photo by Russian State Documentary Film and Photo Archive via AP Photo)

Tourists gather to watch Mount Agung at Amed beach in Karangasem on Indonesia' s resort island of Bali on November 30, 2017. Thousands of foreign tourists were expected to leave Bali by plane on November 30 following a nearly three- day airport shutdown sparked by a rumbling volcano on the Indonesian holiday island. (Photo by Juni Kriswanto/AFP Photo)