BEIJING (Reuters) - China will launch a prototype module for a planned space lab next week, state media said on Tuesday, a step that will bring it closer to the United States and Russia as space powers. The Tiangong 1, or "Heavenly Palace," will blast off from the Gobi Desert Jiuquan launch site in a remote part of the northwestern province of Gansu between September 27 and September 30, Xinhua news agency said, just ahead of the October 1 national day holiday. The eight-tonne unmanned module, and the rocket that will carry it skyward, have been moved onto the launch pad, the report said, citing a spokesman for the country's space program.