You are here: Home > China > Nation

China to launch Shenzhou-8 in early Nov.

: 0 Comment(s)Print E-mail China.org.cn, October 26, 2011

Adjust font size:

China will launch the Shenzhou-8 spacecraft in early November at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.Workers are doing the preparation work before the launch.[Photo/Chinamil.com.cn]

China will launch the Shenzhou-8 spacecraft in early November at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.

The Shenzhou-8 spacecraft that will perform China's first space docking with Tiangong-1 space lab module is being vertically transferred with the carrier rocket to the launch pad at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, Xinhua reported.

The spacecraft and its carrier rocket, an upgraded Long March-2F, were transferred on Wednesday morning on a 20-meter-wide railway to the launch pad.

The launch pad is 1,500 meters away from the assembling and testing center. It took nearly two hours to complete the transfer.

Technicians completed testing on the assembling of Shenzhou-8 and the rocket after they were delivered to the launch center at the end of August, said Lu Jinrong, the launch center's chief engineer.

In the next few days, the launch center will continue testing the spacecraft and the rocket, and inject propellent before the final launch in early November, Lu said.

The assembling, testing and transferring of the spacecraft and rocket were all conducted while they were vertical.

Shenzhou-8 is capable of docking with the spacecraft Tiangong-1 in both manual and automatic modes.

The Tiangong-1 space lab module is functioning smoothly in the orbit, and all equipment and experiments are going well, according to Lu. The module is ready for the docking task, Lu said.

About Tiangong-1

Tiangong-1 is an unmanned space module complex launched on September 29, 2011 by China as it builds the country's first space station. In preparation for the space station construction, Tiangong-1 will dock with with three spaceships, the Shenzhou 8, Shenzhou 9 and Shenzhou 10, respectively, to form the space station, also known as Project 921-2.

The name "Tiangong", literarily translated as Heavenly Palace, symbolizes Chinese people' centuries-long dream of exploring outer space. The name references Wu Cheng'en's "Journey to the West," one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature.

Functioning as a target spacecraft, Tiangong-1 is expected to become China's first space laboratory when it connects to the above mentioned spaceships.

The target spacecraft is composed of two parts. One module is intended for space experiments while the other serves as a "resources module", providing fuel for the regular orbits.

The following are some facts about China's manned space program.

Shenzhou-1:

Launch time: 6:30 a.m., Nov. 20, 1999

Landing time: 3:41 a.m., Nov. 21, 1999

The main task was to examine the performance and reliability of the launcher and verify key technologies relating to capsule connection and separation, heat prevention, control, and landing.

Shenzhou-2:

Launch time: 1:00:03 a.m., Jan. 10, 2001

Landing time: 7:22 p.m., Jan. 16, 2001

Shenzhou-2 was the first formal unmanned spaceship. The launch was conducted in a condition required for a manned spacecraft. It carried out experiments in the fields of space life science, space material, space astronomy and space physics under conditions of microgravity.

Shenzhou-3:

Launch time: 10:15 p.m., March 25, 2002

Landing time: 4:51 a.m., April 1, 2002

The module carried human physical monitoring sensors and

"dummy astronauts." It was also equipped with the escape and emergency rescue functions.

Shenzhou-4:

Launch time: 12:40 a.m., Dec. 30, 2002

Landing time: 7:16 p.m., Jan. 5, 2003

The module was launched at a temperature of minus 29 degrees Celsius. Excessive harmful gas, found in the previous three crafts, was reduced to a safe level in the fourth. Radiation-proof facilities and automatic and manual emergency rescue systems were installed on the spacecraft.

Shenzhou-5:

Launch time: 9:00 a.m., Oct. 15, 2003

Landing time: 6:23 a.m., Oct. 16, 2003

The launch of the spacecraft was the first manned mission, which realized the nation's thousand-year dream of manned space flight and was a new milestone for China's space program.

The craft carried astronaut Yang Liwei, 38.

Shenzhou-6:

Launch time: 9:00 a.m., Oct. 12, 2005

Landing time: 4:33 a.m., Oct. 17, 2005

It was China's second manned spaceflight, with astronauts Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng aboard.

The mission aimed to master the technology relating to a "multi-person and multi-day" orbital flight, as well as to carry out manned space-related scientific experiments and medical experiments.

Shenzhou-7:

Launch time: 9:10 p.m., Sept. 25, 2008

Landing time: 5:37 p.m., Sept. 28, 2008

China carried out a historic first spacewalk by a Chinese astronaut. Zhai Zhigang, Liu Boming and Jing Haipeng were onboard.

Zhai went out of the cabin at 4:34 p.m. of Sept. 27, 43 hours after the launch of the craft, and remained outside the craft for 19 minutes and 35 seconds. China became the third country in the world able to conduct extravehicular activity in space, following the Soviet Union and the United States.

(Xinhua contributed to this story)