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China's Shenzhou Safely Places Two Astronauts In Orbit

Shenzhou 6 on the launchpad. Photo: Xinhua News Agency.
by Peter Harmsen
Jiuquan, China (AFP) Oct 12, 2005
China launched its second manned space mission Wednesday, sending two astronauts into orbit as it opened a new chapter in its ambitious drive to become a global space power.

Shenzhou VI, based on Soviet Soyuz technology, lifted off on a Long March 2F carrier rocket from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center at 9 am (0100 GMT) for a five-day mission carrying air force pilots Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng.

It entered a fixed orbit 21 minutes later.

Having two crew on board is a departure from October 2003, when Yang Liwei spent 21 hours on a solo odyssey -- a mission that made China only the third country after the United States and former Soviet Union to achieve the feat.

Some 40 seconds after Wednesday's launch the craft disappeared into the clouds, but a camera on board showed Nie waving as the launch centre said lift off and all signals were "normal".

"I feel good," said Fei in his first tranmission from the craft.

Fei, 40, and Nie, 41, were seen off by Premier Wen Jiabao, who was at the launch pad to drum up nationalistic sentiment, saying he believed "the astronauts will accomplish the glorious and sacred mission".

"You will once again show that the Chinese people have the will, confidence and capability to mount scientific peaks ceaselessly," Wen said, adding that the whole country expects "their victorious return from the mission."

Other top leaders including President Hu Jintao and and Vice President Zeng Qinglong watched the event at the Beijing Aerospace Command and Control Centre, Chinese mission control.

Snow was falling at the launch site shortly before lift off but stopped at about the time the astronauts entered their craft, Xinhua news agency reported.

The fact that Wednesday's mission carried two astronauts reflects the twin purposes of China's space program, which aims for both scientific gains and kudos at home and abroad.

"Part of it is technical. If you are two people, you can do more complicated and more sophisticated types of work and experimentation," said Joan Johnson-Freese, an expert on China's space program at the US Naval War College.

"Part of its also too is prestige. Two people is harder than one person," she said.

Shenzhou VI is expected to circle around the Earth for the next 119 hours, or nearly five days, before landing in the Inner Mongolian grasslands.

The craft is based on the robust and thoroughly tested Soviet design for the Soyuz vessel, and consists of three modules.

These include the orbital module where scientific experiments are carried out; the re-entry capsule where the astronauts will spend most of their time; and the service module, which contains fuel and air, solar panels and other technical gear.

Unlike Yang Liwei two years ago, the two astronauts will leave their capsule for lengthy experiments in the orbital module at the nose of the spacecraft, observers said.

"They'll do quite a lot of medical tests, they'll take blood tests, urine tests, and they will also work out what kind of space food works for them" said Brian Harvey, the Dublin-based author of a book on China's space ambitions.

"Because ultimately what they are planning is a space station... and to do that they will need to learn how do they survive on longer missions."

The flight of Shenzhou VI will also be a thorough and comprehensive test of China's tracking network, which includes tracking stations as far away as Namibia and four tracking ships placed around the oceans of the world.

In Jiuquan city, several hours' drive away from the satellite launch center, a sense of local pride was clearly visible.

"Wishing a successful launch of Shenzhou VI," said a large red poster in front of one of the city's hotels, while billboards advertised special "Shenzhou Rice Wine."

"We're very happy about all this," said Ma Li, a teenage resident of Jiuquan city. "It's amazing that we Chinese gradually have the know-how to pull this kind of thing off," she said.

earlier related report
Chinese Astronauts Board Craft Ahead Of Launch
Two Chinese astronauts boarded their space craft at dawn Wednesday to prepare for liftoff on a five-day orbital mission marking their country's second manned foray into space, state media said.

The Xinhua news agency said Shenzhou VI would lift off later Wednesday morning, and officials earlier told AFP it would launch at 9:00 am (0100 GMT).

Xinhua said air force pilots Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng would fly the spacecraft. A state newspaper on Tuesday said Fei had been chosen in favour of Zhai Zhigang, who was dropped.

The astronauts headed to the launch site after a ceremony that included best wishes from Premier Wen Jiabao, who sent them off with "enormous warmth", Xinhua said.

"You will once again show that the Chinese people have the will, confidence and capability to mount scientific peaks ceaselessly," Wen said.

Snow was falling but stopped at about the time the astronauts entered their craft, Xinhua reported.

"We have made good preparations for the launch. Thorough tests and checkups show all indices meet design requirements," Wang Yongzhi, chief designer of the spacecraft, told Xinhua earlier.

"Now the rocket, spacecraft and various types of supporting facilities on the ground are in good condition. I believe this flight will be successful."

Wang said his team had worked to improve the reliability of the rocket that will take the Shenzhou VI into space since Shenzhou V's successful mission two years ago, which carried only one astronaut into space and only for a 21-hour mission during which he orbited the earth 14 times.

Like its first manned launch in October 2003, which made China only the third nation after the former Soviet Union and United States to send a man into orbit, this one will take place from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.

A community of 15,000 served by everything from an Olympic-size swimming pool to a fast-food restaurant, it is located on the edge of the Gobi desert, several hours' drive away from Jiuquan city.

"The military is in charge there, and they maintain strict discipline, like imposing curfews at night," said Wang Xiuqing, a 25-year-old Jiuquan resident who previously worked as a driver at the launch center.

He remembers the excitement at the center when Shenzhou V was launched two years ago in a cloud of fire and with a deafening roar.

The launch center is only rarely open to visitors, and this week it has been sealed off completely, with roadblocks in place and the military patrolling the area. Foreign reporters are banned.

Undeterred by the strict controls, space enthusiasts from all over China started arriving here in groups as early as a week ago.

Hundreds of specially invited guests have also been pouring off trains in Jiuquan near the launch site to watch history unfold.

China's state television announced it would broadcast the launch live, reflecting confidence that it will go according to plan.

Foreign observers said China had good reason not to worry, as it was not taking any major risks with Shenzhou VI as compared with Shenzhou V.

"It's the same kind of spacecraft doing the same kind of thing, except that they must prove that their system can work for five days rather than just one day," said David Baker, a London-based space policy analyst with Jane's Defence Weekly.

The Shenzhou spacecraft is based on the robust and thoroughly tested Soviet design for the Soyuz vessel, and consists of three modules.

These include the orbital module where scientific experiments are carried out; the re-entry capsule where the astronauts will spend most of their time; and the service module, which contains fuel and air, solar panels and other technical gear.

Unlike its predecessor, the Shenzhou VI has a food heater, which means the astronauts can enjoy hot meals. Yang Liwei, the astronaut on China's first manned space mission, could only eat cold food. An "excrement collecting device" will also be used for the first time, Xinhua said.

Wang, the chief spacecraft designer, however, said China still lagged far behind the United States and Russia in aerospace science and technology but was fast catching up with its "leap-frog" development mode.

"Although more than 40 years late, our spacecraft is of the same technological level as their near-earth orbit spacecraft at present," he said.

related report
China Counting Down To Wednesday Launch For Shenzhou
China began the final countdown Tuesday for its second manned foray into space, voicing confidence of a successful mission that will send two astronauts into orbit for five days.

The state-run Xinhua news agency said Shenzhou VI would lift off Wednesday morning, with officials earlier telling AFP it would launch at 9 am (0100 GMT).

Xinhua said the two astronauts had been selected and were undergoing final physical examinations Tuesday. Previous reports said that Zhai Zhigang and Nie Haisheng would pilot the craft although at least one state newspaper Tuesday said Zhai had been dropped in favor of Fei Junlong.

"We have made good preparations for the launch. Thorough tests and checkups show all indices meet design requirements," Wang Yongzhi, chief designer of the spacecraft, told Xinhua.

He said his team had worked to improve the reliability of the rocket that will take the Shenzhou VI into space since Shenzhou V's successful mission two years ago.

"Now the rocket, spacecraft and various types of supporting facilities on the ground are in good condition. I believe this flight will be successful," he said.

Like its first manned launch in October 2003, which made China only the third nation after the former Soviet Union and United States to send a man into orbit, this one will take place from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.

A community of 15,000 served by everything from an Olympic-size swimming pool to a fast-food joint, it is located on the edge of the Gobi desert, several hours' drive away from Jiuquan city.

"The military is in charge there, and they maintain strict discipline, like imposing curfews at night," said Wang Xiuqing, a 25-year-old Jiuquan resident who previously worked as a driver at the launch center.

He remembers the excitement at the center when Shenzhou V was launched two years ago in a cloud of fire and with a deafening roar.

The launch center is only rarely open to visitors, and this week it has been sealed off completely, with roadblocks in place and the military patrolling the area. Foreign reporters are banned.

Undeterred by the strict controls, space enthusiasts from all over China started arriving here in groups as early as a week ago.

Hundreds of specially invited guests have also been pouring off trains in Jiuquan near the launch site to watch history unfold.

"We didn't get a chance to watch the first manned launch two years ago, so this time we really wanted to go," said one passenger, a middle-aged woman.

"My husband works for a telecom company that's doing business with the launch center, so I secured an invite for me and my daughter."

They might have had a better shot at getting a good look if they had stayed at home in front of their TV sets.

China's state television announced it would broadcast the launch live, reflecting confidence that it will go according to plan.

Foreign observers said China had good reason not to worry, as it was not taking any major risks with Shenzhou VI as compared with Shenzhou V.

"It's the same kind of spacecraft doing the same kind of thing, except that they must prove that their system can work for five days rather than just one day," said David Baker, a London-based space policy analyst with Jane's Defence Weekly.

The Shenzhou spacecraft is based on the robust and thoroughly tested Soviet design for the Soyuz vessel, and consists of three modules.

These include the orbital module where scientific experiments are carried out; the re-entry capsule where the astronauts will spend most of their time; and the service module, which contains fuel and air, solar panels and other technical gear.

Keenly aware of the military, scientific and commercial benefits of space exploration, China has been aggressively pursuing space travel for years.

Since its space program was set up in 1992 it has grown to employ tens of thousands of scientists and other personnel.

related report
Confident China Prepares For Second Manned Foray Into Space
China was expected to launch its second manned space mission on Wednesday from a remote desert region, swelling national pride and leaving many foreign observers in awe at what the country has achieved.

The launch of Shenzhou VI has been shrouded in secrecy and is subject to weather conditions, but an official from the technical department of the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center said it would happen on Wednesday.

"It is October 12 at 9:00 am," the official, who refused to be named, told

The China National Space Administration could not confirm the date. However, a travel agent taking domestic tourists to witness the launch said he had been advised to be at the site early Wednesday morning.

China's state news agency Xinhua early Tuesday reported in an "urgent" dispatch that the launch would take place "at a proper time" between Wednesday and Saturday. It quoted an unnamed official of the space program.

Xinhua said the launch would be broadcast live on China Central Television, on radio and the Internet.

The six astronauts shortlisted for the two-member mission have arrived at the launch pad in Inner Mongolia, the China News Service said, quoting engineers at the launch center.

China's state-run press reported that Zhai Zhigang and Nie Haisheng would likely pilot the five-day mission.

It will be almost exactly two years after the successful October 15, 2003 launch of astronaut Yang Liwei into space, making China only the third nation after the United States and the former Soviet Union to accomplish such a feat.

"The Chinese should be very proud of what they are accomplishing," said David Baker, a London-based space policy analyst for Jane's Defence Weekly.

"It's the kind of activity that only a developed and well-organized industrial nation can pull off."

While the Shenzhou technology is based on 1950s and 1960s Soviet science, analysts said it would be wrong to shrug off China's space program.

"If it was easy, China wouldn't be the third country with a manned program," said Joan Johnson-Freese, an expert on Chinas space program at the US Naval War College.

"The technology isn't exactly breakthrough technology, but being able to put it all together and make it work, is sending a message that in fact China has integration skills, it has follow-through capability to build this kind of technology."

The Shenzhou spacecraft, based on the robust and thoroughly tested Soviet design for the Soyuz vessel, is basically the same this time as two years ago.

It consists of three modules -- the orbital module where scientific experiments are carried out; the re-entry capsule where the astronauts will spend most of their time; and the service module, which contains fuel and air, solar panels and other technical gear.

During his 21-hour trip to space in 2003, Yang never left the re-entry capsule, but this time will be different.

The two astronauts will enter into the orbital module in the front to conduct a large number of tests, presumably designed to check their physical reactions to conditions in space.

"This is very, very typical of the Chinese space program," said Brian Harvey, the Dublin-based author of a book on China's space endeavors. "They go quite a big step each time. They very rarely repeat missions."

The data collected will be used for what is China's objective for the medium term: a space station to promote cutting-edge scientific research in orbit and boost national pride on the ground.

China's spending on its space program is a state secret, but what is clear is that by international standards it is a mere shoestring budget.

Harvey believes it is around six billion dollars -- or approximately one sixth of the American expenditure.

Still, the question posed by many is why Beijing is pushing on with its space program at all.

"The answer really lies in prestige first, direct economic and social applications second, and using the space program as a cutting-edge tool for technology third," said Harvey.

As befitting a country proud to tout its 5,000-year history, China is not going into space just for short-term considerations.

"Much more than America, much more than Europe, China really does look at the very, very long-term view," said Baker of Jane's Defence Weekly.

"And it does see that in this century, and it may take the whole of this century, it wants to end up having options to exploit if there is a commercial purpose to mining lunar materials for instance."

All rights reserved. � 2005 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.

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Cold Weather May Force China To Postpone Manned Space Mission: Report
Beijing (AFP) Oct 07, 2005
Unusually cold weather may force China to postpone the launch of its second manned space mission, scheduled for next week, state media reported Friday.



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