China鈥檚 first astronaut will attempt to blast off into space on 15 October, according to reports from several different sources. However, officials have refused to confirm the date.
Experts believe the historic flight will see a single 鈥測uhangyuan鈥� circle the Earth aboard a Shenzhou spacecraft. It has also been revealed that the trip will last 90 minutes. The first man in space, Yuri Gagarin, spent 108 minutes aloft in 1961.
鈥淲e have been told our live broadcast of the launch will be on the 15th,鈥� a China Central Television news centre official told AFP. 鈥淏ut we do not know the exact time of the launch on the day.鈥�
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So far, China has launched four uncrewed Shenzhou spacecraft. State-controlled media outlets have revealed few specific details about these flights but all have been reported a success. The first astronaut will be chosen from a pool of 14 experienced pilots who have undergone years of training in China and in Russia.
National pride
China hopes to become only the third nation ever to put a person in space, after the former Soviet Union and the US. The feat is a matter of great national pride for the Chinese government, who see it as a demonstration of China鈥檚 technological development and its growing economic power.
Access to space is also becoming an increasingly vital military asset, as the US military鈥檚 growing reliance on its constellation of Global Positioning System satellites demonstrates.
But China also has ambitions to become major space power. Plans for a small inhabitable space station and robotic missions to the Moon and Mars have been discussed by officials. China has also enquired about joining the International Space Station project.
Xie Guangxuan, director of China Rocket Design Department, told the Chinese news web site Sina.com: 鈥淐hina鈥檚 space technology has been created by China itself. We may have started later than Russia and the US, but it鈥檚 amazing how fast we鈥檝e been able to do this.鈥�
Four test flights is certainly far fewer than the Soviet Union and the US performed before launching an astronaut, but analysts believe the design of the Chinese spacecraft has many similarities with the Soviet Soyuz craft.
Parachute landing
Shenzhou V will be launched using a Chinese Long March rocket from Jiuquan Space Launch Centre in Gansu, northwest China. The capsule will parachute back to Earth somewhere in Inner Mongolia.
Previous reports have suggested the launch will take place during the day, in contrast to previous missions. Extremely low night-time temperatures have forced some missions to be delayed.
Xie Guangxuan said mission controllers were most concerned about the period during re-entry when, at an altitude of 80 kilometres, communications with the capsule are briefly lost.
The last Shenzhou flight, in January 2003, tested the life-support systems needed for a crewed flight. A previous mission also saw a 鈥渇light test dummy鈥� lofted into orbit. But none of the previous Shenzou launches were broadcast live on national television.