"China will soon start to train its own female astronauts," Gu Xiulian, president of the All-China Women's Federation, said according to Xinhua news agency.

Gu said it was her idea to start training women for space travel, and that she put forward the suggestion after China's first successful manned space flight in October last year.

"This suggestion has been accepted by the central authorities," Gu said according to Xinhua.

China plans to send two astronauts into space in 2005, and hopes to land an unmanned spacecraft on the moon by 2010.

It is unlikely that the duo to go into space next year will include a woman, as candidates for the next space mission come from China's current all-male team of astronauts.

SPACE.WIRE