Just a few months shy of the 20th anniversary of the Chinese manned space program, China is now in the final stages of preparation for its first manned docking mission, said a US expert, adding it is a "very important step" for China's space program.

William Anderson, a professor of aerospace at Purdue University who previously worked at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), said the Chinese manned docking will be important for the country's space goals in the future.

"It is a very important step for the Chinese space program," Anderson told Xinhua in an interview about the upcoming launch, when the manned Chinese spacecraft Shenzhou-9 is scheduled to dock with the orbiting Tiangong-1 lab module.

"From what I can see is that they are approaching things in a very incremental way, which will probably lead to this highest probability of continued success," Anderson said, adding that the complexity of space operations requires a slow progression.

China has been building up to the Shenzhou-9 manned docking mission since the country first established its manned space program - Project 921 - on Sept. 21, 1992.

Since then, China has joined the United States and Russia as the countries that have successfully sent humans into space, first accomplished in 2003 by the Shenzhou-5 astronaut Yang Liwei.

More recently, the unmanned spacecraft Shenzhou-8 tested docking technology with the Tiangong-1 lab module in November last year.

But Shenzhou-9 will be the first Chinese manned mission to dock with an orbiting craft, as well as the first one to see a Chinese woman astronaut in space.

"I think people - the fact that there are people on board - it will draw much more attention," Anderson commented on the Shenzhou-9 launch, calling the mission very symbolic.

Additional goals for the Chinese space program include landing a man on the moon and deploying a permanent space station by 2020.

Anderson said he is very positive of space exploration in general, and cited many benefits aerospace could bring to scientific development and national culture.

"When you look at countries like Germany, France, the US, they were hugely changed by their space programs," he told Xinhua.

"One of the big changes that came around with the Apollo space program is the perception of science, engineering, and mathematics as virtues - people aspired to send their children into (the fields)," Anderson said, adding that space is one of the main factors influencing the United States to grow into a more technocratic and innovative country.

Currently, space telescopes such as the Hubble are exploring faraway galaxies and examining the origins of the universe, while private companies have expressed their long-term intentions to mine asteroids for valuable minerals.

Other exploration goals for both the United States and China include a manned mission to Mars, in which space programs from many different countries could potentially work together in a global scientific effort.

The Shenzhou-9 launch is scheduled for later this week, and will therefore be only the first step of many for China's long-term space goals.

At Purdue University, space enthusiasts will likewise continue to work toward future advances in the field, where the university has already established itself as a national leader.

Purdue has graduated a total of 23 US astronauts, including the first ever man to walk on the moon - Neil Armstrong.