Shenzhou-4 In Final Prep For Year-End Launch

DRAGON SPACE

Artist impression of SZ-4 in flight. (Photo: People's Daily)

by Wei Long
Beijing - Nov 26, 2002
Shenzhou-4 is in the final phase of preparing for flight at the launch site. Space officials are optimistic that the fourth, and perhaps the final, unmanned test mission will occur before the end of the year or very early next year by the latest.

On Nov. 10 Wen Wei Po in Hong Kong quoted Zhang Qingwei, President of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), as saying that Shenzhou-4 (SZ-4, Shenzhou means "Magic Vessel" or "Divine Vessel") had arrived at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre (JSLC) in the northwestern Gansu Province.

Zhang said that the condition of SZ-4 would be rated for human flight and "identical to that of SZ-5".

His remark is a reference to the possibility that SZ-5 may carry the first yuhangyuan ("astronaut") crew into space.

Zhang said: "After the SZ-4 mission, we will conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the results. This is to determine whether the following mission would realize manned spaceflight."

Zhang added that prior to and after the launch of SZ-4, there would be full dress rehearsals of various aspects of a manned mission operation.

This includes yuhangyuan emergency escape at the launch centre, and land and sea exercises.

The sea exercises may involve splashdown recovery operations. During the SZ-3 mission, unidentified sources told the Hong Kong-based Wen Wei Po in a report published on Mar. 26 that the SZ-4 landing might be a splashdown at sea.

Wen Wei Po also asked Zhang about the news that two mannequins might ride on SZ-4. He responded that the matter "is still under final consideration."

Then on Nov. 12 in an exclusive interview with the English-language newspaper China Daily, Zhang said that the launch of SZ-4 "is scheduled for around January 1."

Two days later other CASC officials said in Star Daily, an entertainment newspaper here, that the launch would happen before the end of the year but there was no definite launch date set.

The SZ-4 mission will continue to conduct science experiments. Beijing Times reported on Aug. 22 that tentatively 54 payloads, of total mass 300 kg, would fly on SZ-4. The science payload would cover experiments on life and material sciences, and on Earth observations.

There was also a news report that the SZ-4 launch might have secondary passengers on the Changzheng-2F (Long March-2F) launcher.

In May Star Daily reported that the two microsats in the project dubbed "OlympiadSat" would be launched piggyback along with SZ-4.

The purpose of launching the two "OlympiadSat" microsats along the SZ-4 mission is to promote youth involvement and understanding of science and technology, particularly in aerospace.

But the piggyback launch may not happen, as funding to the "OlympiadSat" project has fallen far short.

Beijing Evening News reported on Sept. 28 that the $5 million renminbi (US$604,000) project had only raised about RMB$2 million (US$242,000) up to that time.

"OlympiadSat" project officials said that despite a later launch of SZ-4, it would be unlikely that the project could raise the remaining fund and build the microsats in time for the piggyback launch.

DRAGON SPACE

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