The Shenzhou (Divine Ship) blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Center in the northwestern province of Gansu in the early hours of the morning atop a Chinese Long March 2-F booster rocket.

Xinhua news agency said the spaceship was carrying a number of unidentified animals and entered a pre-set orbit. The launch was conducted in temperatures of minus 13 degrees Celsius (nine degrees Fahrenheit).

It is the second test flight of the Shenzhou craft -- during the maiden voyage in November 1999 the craft orbited the earth 14 times before landing in inner Mongolia 21 hours after lift-off.

Analysts believe the Shenzhou will be given a tougher workout this time round as China's space programme works towards putting a man in space, possibly as early as next year.

"More unmanned test flights will be launched to pave the way for sending Chinese astronauts into space in the end," said a spokesman for the China Manned Space Programme, declining to set a precise timetable.

The official China Daily said the Shenzhou II successfully detached itself from the launch vehicle and that early data indicated both the craft was performing well.

Xinhua said Shenzhou II was composed of an orbital module, returning module and booster rockets, almost identical to how a manned spacecraft would be constructed.

It added Shenzhou II was carrying "a number of special 'passengers' ... including animals and microbial cells provided by the Chinese Academy of Sciences."

"These 'passengers' are expected to join a series of experiments in space, which will be the first tests of their kind carried out by Chinese scientists," it said, adding the craft would return in a "few days".

During the flight, experiments on space life sciences, space materials, astronomy and physics will be conducted, Xinhua said.

Hanging over the control panel of the capsule was a banner congratulating Beijing on its bid for the 2008 Olympic Games.

Chen Lan, an indepedent Chinese space analyst who runs the "Go Taikonauts" website, told AFP he expected the new test flight to last between five and seven days depending on how smoothly the tests are carried out.

He said he expected the craft to be carrying small animals such as rats rather than monkeys.

A Beijing-based Western space expert said the launch had been delayed several months by niggling problems and that the did not expect the Chinese to put a man in space for several years.

"They probably need two or three years before they put a man in space as it is a very risky enterprise and failure would have a very negative impact on the whole programme," he told AFP.

If China managed to put a human in space it would join an elite club -- only Russia in 1961 and the United States in 1962 have succeeded with manned space flights.

Xinhua said Wednesday's launch took place at 01:00 a.m. (1700 GMT Tuesday) and that the booster rockets fell away as the Shenzhou II entered orbit 10 minutes later.

The Shenzhou appears similar in design to design to the Russian-built Soyuz capsule, although it is 13 percent larger and could carry at least three astronauts.

In November, China spelled out plans to be a major player in space with a policy document shedding light on its ambitious programme to wire the world with satellites and put a man on the moon.

The White Paper reiterated China's commitment to the "peaceful uses of space" and underlined the growing demand for space technology in economic construction.

But it also suggested space played a key role in defence and national security, stressing the need to "protect China's national interests and build up the comprehensive national strength."

China is also known to be planning to build its own space station as early as by 2015, although the costs would be enormous.

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