Officials of the Jiuquan Satellite in Northwest China have set off the Chinese Long March 2FT1 rocket that will convey the country's first archetype space laboratory into course on Thursday.

The unmanned Tiangong 1 module is considered a significant achievement for China amid efforts to intensify its space program.

Chinese officials have already announced their plans to construct a 60-ton manned space station by the year 2020, according to a report from www.space.com.

Tiangong 1 will also transport medical and engineering equipment into space, the report added.

Xinhua News Agency said the module will remain in orbit for 2 years.

China is the third super power to autonomously send off human beings into the universe, next to the U.S. and Russia.

The country's first manned mission, Shenzhou 5, piloted by Yang Liwei was dispatched to outer space on Oct. 15, 2003. It was followed by 2 more manned missions in 2005 and 2008.

Tiangong 1 will try out the capability of docking technology with the Shenzhou space vessel in a series of test flights within the next 2 years. The space module weighs 8.5 metric tons, more than 30 feet long and 11 feet wide.

The prototype was supposed to have lifted off early this week but weather conditions compelled officials to re-schedule the launch date.

"The main mission of Tiangong 1 is to provide a target vehicle for space meeting points and docking experiment as well as establish a manned space test platform capable of long-term unmanned operations in space," explained China's Manned Space Engineering Office spokeswoman Wu Ping.

It is also intended to build up enough experience for the development of the space station, conduct space experiments for science, medical and technology.