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| China prepares to launch Shenzhou IV Spaceship |
| CCTV.COM 2002-08-15 10:08:45 |
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With its eye on the stars, China expects to launch another unmanned spaceship by the end of this year, the fourth in its Shenzhou series. According to one aerospace corporation, this could lead to the country's first manned space voyage.
Starting in 1999, the three consecutive successes of the Shenzhou spaceships have enabled China to make great achievements in space research. The country has vowed to become the third in the world to send a human into space.
At a working conference in Beijing on Tuesday, the general manager of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation （CASTC） explained the reason for this confidence.
"We have so far successfully launched three unmanned spaceships. Having similar technological conditions to the manned spaceship, the successful mission of Shenzhou III early this year has paved way for the future manned space voyage," said Zhang Qingwei, general manager of CASTC.
Shenzhou IV is the next step. The past 10 years have seen CASTC master key technologies for manned aerospace projects. Zhang says that more improvements have gone into Shenzhou IV, equipping it with complete technology for a manned space voyage.
All tests on its systems have been passed and the final large－scale trial is now underway. The launch is scheduled for later this year.
CASTC will also concentrate on developing a new generation of space flight technologies and products to compete in the world market.
CASTC will focus on key technologies such as docking spaceship to space stations, establishing skylabs and exploring deep space, all of which serve as the preparation for future moon exploration.
It will also speed up its development of new carrier rockets and the Dongfanghong IV Satellite Platform.
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Editor: Han Ling CCTV.com
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