China aims for second manned space flight in early October

Science News

Jul 15, 2005, 12:38 GMT

Beijing - China aims to launch the country's second manned space mission, Shenzhou VI, in early October, state media on Friday quoted a senior aerospace official as saying. "The manned spacecraft will ... preferably be launched in early October," Sun Weigang, director of the space department at the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, told the government's official China Daily newspaper. The newspaper confirmed earlier reports that Shenzhou VI will carry two astronauts on a mission of five or six days. China began training 14 astronauts last year and has since narrowed the field to six astronauts in three pairs, one of which will be chosen for the mission. "The trainees have stepped up training in weightless conditions and learned to repair faults and deal with other emergencies in space," the newspaper quoted unnamed sources in the space programme as saying. The initial team of 14 ex-fighter pilots included Yang Liwei, who piloted China's first manned space flight in October 2003. Yang is believed to be among the final six astronauts fro the Shenzhou VI mission, according to commentaries in state media. Earlier reports said Shenzhou VI was likely to be launched in September. The Shenzhou V mission made China only the third country to launch an astronaut into to space, after Russia and the United States. © dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur

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China aims for second manned space flight in early October

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