China launches second manned spacecraft
Posted: Wed, Oct 12, 2005, 1:53 PM ET (1753 GMT)
China launched two astronauts into space early Wednesday on Shenzhou 6, its second manned spaceflight. A Long March 2F booster, improved to incorporate safety enhancements, lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China at 9:00 pm EDT Tuesday (0100 GMT, 9:00 am Beijing time Wednesday) and placed the Shenzhou 6 spacecraft into low Earth orbit. On board the spacecraft are two astronauts, Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng; their identities were not officially confirmed until a few hours before launch, although they had been widely reported to be the leading candidates to fly the mission. Shenzhou 6 is scheduled to remain in orbit for nearly five days, with Fei and Nie performing a number of experiments during the flight. The launch comes almost exactly two years after Shenzhou 5, China's first manned spaceflight: that mission flew one person into orbit for just under one day. Another manned mission, Shenzhou 7, is planned for 2007.
China launched two astronauts into space early Wednesday on Shenzhou 6, its second manned spaceflight. A Long March 2F booster, improved to incorporate safety enhancements, lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China at 9:00 pm EDT Tuesday (0100 GMT, 9:00 am Beijing time Wednesday) and placed the Shenzhou 6 spacecraft into low Earth orbit. On board the spacecraft are two astronauts, Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng; their identities were not officially confirmed until a few hours before launch, although they had been widely reported to be the leading candidates to fly the mission. Shenzhou 6 is scheduled to remain in orbit for nearly five days, with Fei and Nie performing a number of experiments during the flight. The launch comes almost exactly two years after Shenzhou 5, China's first manned spaceflight: that mission flew one person into orbit for just under one day. Another manned mission, Shenzhou 7, is planned for 2007.
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