Chinese Plan Manned Space Launch

Chinese space officials announced Tuesday a manned spacecraft is scheduled to be launched in October 2008, shortly after the Beijing Olympic Games.

Three astronauts are scheduled to make the trip aboard Shenzhou VII, which includes a planned live broadcast of a spacewalk, the Oriental Morning Post in Shanghai reported.

This is the first time for us to do this and it will be very exciting, said Pang Zhihao, a China Academy of Space Technology researcher.

China has launched two manned spacecraft, Shenzhou V and Shenzhou VI, in 2003 and 2005, sending three astronauts into the space on each of the missions.

Also, the country’s next-generation launch vehicles for heavyweight satellites or space stations will be ready by 2013, China Daily reported.

Research and tests on key technologies of the new rockets have been completed. According to our initial schedule, the rocket will be ready for its first lift-off about five years from now, said Zhang Yanhe, deputy director of the Tianjin Office of Science Technology and Industry for National Defense.