China primed for next leap into space

(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-09-25 12:42

BEIJING - China readied for its next leap into space on Thursday, with the Shenzhou VII craft primed to blast off with three astronauts and plans for a first space walk that will underscore the country's technological ambitions.

The flight will be China's third manned space venture since October 2003, when it joined Russia and the United States as the only countries to have sent astronauts into space. This one will feature China's first space walk, probably on Friday.

China sent two more astronauts on a five-day flight on its Shenzhou VI craft in October 2005.

"This will be a very outward show of Chinese power," said Kevin Pollpeter, an expert on the country's space program at the Defense Group Inc in Washington, DC. "The eventual goal is to build a space station. For them, that's become one of the trappings of being a great power."

The rocket is due to lift off some time between 9:07 pm (1307 GMT) and 10:27 pm (1427 GMT).

"We have the confidence, determination and ability to make the nation's first step in outer space," one of the astronauts, Jing Haipeng, told a news conference on Wednesday.

The ability to do what is also called "extra-vehicular activity" is essential for China's long-term goals of an orbiting station in the next decade and possibly a visit to the moon.

"The current manned spacecraft is just a tool toward a space station," said Jiao Weixin, a space scientist at Peking University. "It's laying a foundation for the future."

The Shenzhou VII spectacle will also mark a patriotic crescendo for China in a year dominated by the Beijing Olympic Games and the country's top gold medal count.

"Shenzhou VII, you are the pride of the nation," said one message on the Xinhua news agency's website (www.xinhuanet.com). "Overcome hardship as China takes off," said another.

The Shenzhou VII and the Long March rocket that will throw it into space stood ready at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in remote northwest Gansu province, Xinhua news agency reported.

China has arrayed five satellite tracking ships to follow the craft's journey of three days or so, and helicopters and vehicles are ready to meet it on returning to earth in Inner Mongolia, a region in northern China.