Posted: Fri, Oct 10, 2003, 11:26 AM ET (1526 GMT)
In a rare removal of the veil of secrecy surrounding the program, Chinese officials confirmed Friday that they plan to attempt their first manned spaceflight next week. Official Chinese media reported that the Shenzhou 5 launch is planned for between October 15 and 17, largely in line with unofficial reports that have leaked out of China in the last several days. According to the report the flight is scheduled to last 14 orbits, or 21 hours, contradicting earlier reports that suggested that the flight could last as short as one orbit, or 90 minutes. Chinese officials said that the "astronaut crew" for the flight has been selected, but did not disclose the number of people in the crew nor their names.

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