Posted: Sun, Jan 23, 2005, 9:30 AM ET (1430 GMT)
Chinese officials said this week that the next manned launch by that nation will send two people into orbit for several days. The newspaper China Daily reported Thursday that Shenzhou 6, scheduled for launch in September or October, will carry two astronauts, who will spend five to six days in orbit. The crew will spend some time performing experiments in the spacecraft's orbital module during the flight. The flight will be the first manned mission for China since Yang Liwei spent just under one day in orbit in October 2003 on Shenzhou 5, China's first manned orbital mission. the announcement serves more as a confirmation than a revelation, as previous reports had indicated a similar launch date and mission profile for Shenzhou 6. The article also reported that China plans to launch five satellites during the year, a lower number than in the previous two years.

Related Links:

•  China Daily article
•  AP article
•  BBC article