Astronauts launching record-setting mission

China will launch a manned spacecraft on Monday morning to transport two astronauts to the Tiangong II space laboratory, according to the China Manned Space Agency.

Shenzhou XI will blast off at 7:30 am atop a Long March 2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region. It will carry two male astronauts - the mission commander, Jing Haipeng, who will celebrate his 50th birthday in the space station, and 37-year-old Chen Dong.

Jing's birthday gift is a new record for China - he becomes the nation's first astronaut to take a third trip into space, according to Wu Ping, deputy director and spokeswoman for the agency, who spoke to reporters about the launch at a news conference in the Jiuquan center on Sunday.