China: first manned spaceflight set for next week

cctv.com 10-11-2003 08:52

China will launch its first manned spaceflight at an appropriate time between Wednesday and Friday next week. The announcement was made by the program's headquarters in Beijing on Friday.

An official says the Shenzhou V spacecraft will lift off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, and all preparatory work for the launch is progressing smoothly. He says after strict tests, training and selection, a team of "taikonauts," named after the Chinese word for "space", has been formed for the mission. The spacecraft will first fly an elliptic orbit with an orbital inclination angle of 42.4 degrees and an altitude of between 200 and 350 kilometers. It will then shift to a circular orbit with an altitude of 343 km.

Editor:Zhang  Source:CCTV.com