JIUQUAN, China (AFP) Oct 15, 2003 China Wednesday launched its first manned space flight, putting the communist country into an elite club alongside Russia and the United States, the Xinhua news agency reported.
A single astronaut, Lieutenant Colonel Yang Liwei, 38, was onboard Shenzhou V which is expected to orbit the Earth 14 times before landing in northern Inner Mongolia.
Xinhua said the craft blasted off at 9:00 a.m. (0100 GMT).
