Opposition from the United States ..... China builds its own space station ....

China did not participate in the ongoing International Space Station project due to US opposition. China has since set up its own space station.

Named 'Tianhong', the main part of the space station was placed in orbit on April 29. Last month a spacecraft sent fuel, food, and equipment for a program to send soldiers into space.

The Long March 2 FY12 rocket carrying the three astronauts' Sensho 12 spacecraft was taken to a launch site in northwest China, according to the Chinese Space Engineering Office.

The rocket is scheduled to launch on June 16.

'The three men who were sent to the space station for the first time ...

Astronauts will also be sent in the future, 'said Yang Livi, an official with the Chinese space agency and China's first astronaut.