China to Send Two Astronauts into Space Next Year
Posted on: Saturday, 21 February 2004, 06:00 CST
BEIJING (AFP) -- China plans to send two astronauts into space next year, two years after it became the third country in the world to send one of its people into space, state media quoted a top scientist saying.
Wang Yongzhi, the chief designer for the China's manned space programme,
indicated work on the second spaceflight was going as planned, the China Central Television station said.
"Based on preliminary considerations, Shenzhou VI is preparing to take two people into space for a flight that will last five to seven days to continue to test the practical capability of the spacecraft," Wang said.
"Because the time will be longer, many (factors) including the temperature guarantee, atmospheric composition guarantee and temperature etc. will have some differences."
Wang also revealed that the Shenzhou VI spacecraft will be equipped to carry three people, similar to the Shenzhou V craft that was shot into space in China's first manned spaceflight last October.
Wang said it has not been decided whether China's first astronaut Yang Liwei, who has since been lauded as a national hero, will be selected for the second mission.
China is currently preparing a group of 14 astronauts, including Yang, for the flight.
"These astronauts now are all basically qualified to go into space. As to who will go up in space, that will be decided when the time comes," Wang said.
The second spacecraft will also be blasted into space by the same type of rocket as the previous spacecraft -- the Long March II, CCTV said.
In accordance with plans, China will later build a space station and also hopes to land an unmanned spacecraft on the moon by 2010.
China followed in the footsteps of the Soviet Union and the United States to achieve the manned space flight in October, when astronaut Yang orbited the Earth 14 times.
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