China details space plans

I don’t understand why the upcoming first Chinese manned space launch isn’t getting more press than what it has. Of course, with the California elections and the reconstruction of Iraq going on I suppose that something has to come third. But this isn’t even on the radar. . .

Although no dates have been officially revealed, the mission is believed to be just days away.

The speculation in the Chinese press is that it will blast off just after a plenary meeting of the Communist Party’s central committee, which ends on 14 October.

A leading space expert, Chen Lan, said that “the launch cannot come before 14 October because Chinese leaders will be attending an important meeting in Beijing and I believe some of them, like (former president and military chief) Jiang Zemin, will want to be at the launch site to witness the launch”.

Mr Chen, curator of the Go Taikonauts! website, said the Shenzhou V would orbit the Earth at least 10 times in a flight lasting less than 24 hours.

A successful launch is likely to spark an outpouring of national pride, boosting the credibility of the Communist Party.

It is not yet known who China’s first man in space will be.