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China launches fourth spacecraft
BEIJING, China (CNN) -- China has moved a step closer to its first manned space flight with the successful launch Monday of its fourth unmanned spacecraft, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. Xinhua said the Shenzhou ('Divine Vessel') IV was carried aloft by a Long March II F rocket, which blasted off from its Gobi desert launch pad at 12.40 a.m. (Beijing time) Monday morning (2.40 p.m. Sunday GMT). It entered a preset orbit and was being tracked by monitoring stations in China and four survey ships in the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans. Scientists in charge of China's manned space program said the spacecraft's successful launch laid a "solid foundation" for the goal of sending Chinese astronauts into space, Xinhua reported. So far, only Russia and the United States have launched manned spacecraft. China has given no target date for a manned attempt, but Monday's Shenzhou launch was the second in 10 months. A successful manned flight would deliver immense prestige to China's space program. China launched the Shenzhou I, Shenzhou II and Shenzhou III spacecraft in November 1999, January 2001 and March 2002 respectively from the same site, the Jiuquan satellite launch center in northwest China's Gansu Province. Spacecraft modifiedXinhua quoted the spacecraft's leading designer, Qi Faren, as saying data from the three previous launches and return landings had been incorporated in the Shenzhou IV. The spacecraft had been modified to make it a more comfortable place for astronauts to live and work in, and all the necessary systems for manned flight were installed on the Shenzhou IV craft. A group of potential Chinese astronauts, chosen from air force fighter pilots, have been training for several years, with their commander Su Shuangning saying they used the Shenzhou IV for their first training inside a capsule. Su said the astronauts were "absolutely capable" of making a manned flight, Xinhua reported. According to Associated Press, China has sent at least two astronauts to Russia for training, and more may now be training there. The Shenzhou series of spacecraft is based on the Russian Soyuz design. Monday's liftoff was the 27th consecutive successful launch of Chinese-made rockets since October 1996. The orbiting spacecraft will return to earth after an unspecified period in space, Xinhua reported. Practise with rescuesThe third Shenzhou flight in March, which landed after 10 days in orbit, carried a dummy in a spacesuit. Officials said later that humans could have survived that flight. China so far has brought its spacecraft back to land, rather than splashing down in the sea. Xinhua quoted.Zhao Jun, commander and chief designer of the landing system, as saying a number of land and sea emergency rescue zones had been set up, and rescue workers had conducted trial rescue operations for manned flights. Monday's liftoff was watched in Jiuquan by senior Chinese leaders, including chairman of the national legislature Li Peng, Vice Premier Wu Bangguo and Politburo member Jia Qinglin.
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