Posted: Thu, Sep 29, 2011, 6:32 PM ET (2232 GMT)
China launched on Thursday a module that is designed to be the first step in a long-term effort to develop a space station. The Long March-2FT1 rocket lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China at 9:16 am EDT (1316 GMT, 9:16 pm Beijing time) Thursday and placed the Tiangong-1 module into 340-kilometer Earth orbit. The uncrewed module will be used to test rendezvous and docking technologies, starting with the launch of Shenzhou 8, an uncrewed version of China's manned spacecraft, later this year. A crewed Shenzhou spacecraft, Shenzhou 10, is slated to visit Tiangong-1 within the next two years, according to Chinese media. The module is the first step in long-term plans announced by Chinese space officials to develop a space station similar to the former Russian Mir space station by the end of the decade.

Related Links:

•  Xinhua article
•  BBC article
•  SPACE.com article
•  AP article
•  Reuters article