China has taken the next step in its quest to become a major space power with the launch of the unmanned Shenzhou 8 vehicle.

中国成功发射神舟8号无人飞船，向成为太空强国迈进一步。

It will be a couple of days before Shenzhou 8 is in a position to attempt the docking
The spacecraft rode a Long March 2F rocket into orbit where it will attempt to rendezvous¹（约会，会合） and dock with the Tiangong-1 lab, launched in September.

It would be the first time China has joined two space vehicles together.

The capability² is required if the country is to carry through its plan to build a space station by about 2020.

The Long March carrier rocket lifted away from the Jiuquan spaceport in the Gobi Desert at 05:58, Tuesday. TV cameras relayed the ascent³ to orbit.

Shenzhou separated from the rocket's upper-stage about nine minutes into the flight. Confirmation⁴ that its solar panels had been deployed⁵ was received a short while after.

It will be a couple of days before Shenzhou is in a position to attempt the docking, which will occur some 340km above the Earth.

The vehicles will be using radar⁶ and optical sensors⁷ to compute⁸ their proximity⁹ to each other and guide their final approach and contact.

The pair will then spend 12 days circling the globe together before moving apart and attempting a re-docking. Finally, Shenzhou 8 will detach and its return capsule will head back to Earth.