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Chinese Agency Reveals Details of Space Mission, Orbit Data

Posted on: Tuesday, 11 October 2005, 12:00 CDT

Text of report in English by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency)

Jiuquan, 11 October: China will launch its second manned spacecraft Shenzhou VI Wednesday [12 October] morning after its successful 21-hour first manned space mission two years ago, the headquarters of China's manned space programme said here Tuesday afternoon.

The new spacecraft, this time with two astronauts aboard, will be blast off in space from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China's Gansu Province, the headquarters said earlier this morning.

Wang Yongzhi, chief designer of China's manned space flight programme, said the two astronauts on Shenzhou VI will for the first time enter the orbital module from the re-entry capsule and "live and work several days" under microgravity conditions.

"They will also for the first time carry out scientific experiments in space with human participation in a real sense," said Wang in an exclusive interview with Xinhua.

The Long March rocket propelled China's first manned spacecraft Shenzhou V into orbit in October 2003. Astronaut Yang Liwei thus became the first Chinese national to be sent into space.

Liu Yu, commander in chief of the rocket system, said the rocket for Shenzhou VI has been much improved in reliability and safety compared with the one for Shenzhou V.

"We have confidence in the quality of this rocket. We have the conditions and capability to fulfil this mission," said Liu.

"Preparations for the launch are going on well," he said.

The Shenzhou VI spacecraft will be sent into an oval orbit with a bank angle of 42.4 degrees, a perigee altitude of 200 km and an apogee altitude of 347 km, and after orbital readjustment, the spacecraft will move into a round orbit.

At the end of the scheduled space mission, the spacecraft will return to the main landing field in the central areas of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, an official with the Jiuquan headquarters said.

The astronauts for the scheduled space mission have been decided, after strict training, selection and assessment, and they have completed comprehensive ground drills, the official said.

Xinhua reporters at the Beijing Control Centre learned that after the take-off of Shenzhou VI, the operation of the vessel will be put under the command of Beijing general headquarters for the flight mission, headed by Chen Bingde, member of the Central Military Commission and head of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) General Armament Department, until the end of the mission.

Yang Liwei, who entered the space in Shenzhou V two years ago, told Xinhua at the launch centre in Jiuquan that after training in the past two years, the astronauts aboard Shenzhou VI are capable of fulfilling their tasks.

He said that as the spacecraft has been improved, the astronauts now enjoy "a better and more comfortable working environment."

China National Radio, China Central Television, China Radio International, xinhuanet.com and people.com.cn are expected to begin live broadcast between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. Wednesday.

Source: BBC Monitoring Asia Pacific

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