China will send its first person into space in a single-orbit, 90-minute flight on October 15, which, if successful, would place the communist giant alongside the United States and Russia.

China's major web portal www.sina.com quoting a top space official gave a specific date for the much-awaited manned space mission by the country, which has successfully sent four unmanned spacecraft since November 20, 1999.

The director of China's rocket design department, Xie Guangxuan said the launch of China's first manned spacecraft Shenzhou V (divine vessel) is likely to take place on October 15 and will last about 90 minutes during which the spacecraft will orbit the earth once.

There has been widespread speculation on the details of the forthcoming launch, but there has been little official comment.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, now in Bali, Indonesia told reporters on Tuesday that the manned space mission is expected to be launched soon

Xie noted that China's space technology was indigenous and expressed confidence in the upcoming launch, which would take place after a key meeting of the ruling Communist Party of China, which ends on October 14.

The third plenum of the CPC is to be held here from October 11 to 14, which would be attended by China's top leadership. They are expected to review the progress of China's manned space programme, sources said.

If the launch is successful, China would be the third country in the world to have sent an astronaut into space after the Soviet Union and the United States

The official did not say how many astronauts would be on board Shenzhou V on its maiden voyage.

However, reports appearing in China's state-controlled media said that a panel of up to 14 possible 'Taikonauts' (astronauts) have been selected and given training.

Though the space module is capable of carrying three astronauts, it is widely expected that China might send only one or at the most two men on the first trip due to safety concerns.

Some reports mentioned the names of Li Jinlong and Wu Jie as the possible candidates to take part in China's first manned space launch. Both are ace Chinese Air Force pilots.

Pro-Beijing Hong Kong newspaper Wen Wei Po recently reported that both Li and Wu are present at the Jiuquan space launch centre in northwest Vhina's Gansu province.

China's communist party leadership has nurtured the dream of manned space flight since the early 1970s. However, initial plans were scrapped during the upheaval of the disastrous cultural revolution (1966-1976) of Mao Zedong.

The current ambitious space programme was launched in 1992 under the code name 'Project 921'.