NEW: Liu Yang wins coveted spot to be China's first woman in space Liu Yang has been selected to join two male astronauts, Jing Haipeng and Liu Wang, as part of a three-person crew aboard the Shenzhou-9, according to China's manned space docking program, which says the mission will last 10 days. ET) at a satellite center in northwestern Gansu province. Echoing a famous Chinese proverb, Wu Ping, a spokeswoman for China's manned space program said, "Women hold up half the sky. Human space missions without women are incomplete. According to Xinhua, Liu, 33, was the deputy head of a flight unit of the PLA's Air Force and an air force major. She is also a veteran pilot with 1,680 hours of flying experience and, after two years of training, excelled in testing before being selected with another female, Wang Yaping, as a candidate for the crew. On the eve of the mission, however, it was Liu who won the coveted spot. Wu said that the participation of women in space will aid training, improve flight crew equipment and expand knowledge on the physical and psychological effects of space on women. "It will also further expand the social impact of human space missions and showcase the positive image of Chinese women," Wu said. As a woman, I am eagerly looking forward to this flight with a female astronaut. As a woman, I am eagerly looking forward to this flight with a female astronaut Wu Ping, a spokeswoman for China's manned space program In another milestone, Jing will be China's first astronaut to travel twice into space, Xinhua reported. Like his other two crewmembers, Jing is a former pilot of the People's Liberation Army and a member of the Communist Party of China, according to Xinhua. Read about China's space plans CNN's Steven Jiang and Jaime FlorCruz contributed to this report.