China's 1st spacewalk slated for 2008

China will launch its third manned space mission featuring the country's first spacewalk next fall, a newspaper reported Tuesday.

Shenzhou 7 is scheduled to launch in October 2008 with three astronauts on board, the China Daily newspaper said on its website, citing a researcher with the China Academy of Space Technology.

China sent its first astronaut into orbit in 2003, becoming the third country to do so, after Russia and the United States. In 2005, the country launched a two-person mission.

Chinese media also reported Tuesday that the country's first moon probe, called Chang'e 1 after a mythical moon goddess, had positioned its antenna to allow data to be transmitted to Earth later in November.

The probe was launched in late October and is due to have surveyed the entire surface of the moon by early 2008.