China Launches First Manned Space Mission
VOA News
15 Oct 2003, 01:07 UTC
China has launched its first manned space mission.
China's space agency announced that the space craft, known as Shenzhou Five, was launched at 0100 UTC Wednesday from Gobi desert in northwestern China.
China has not officially identified the astronaut or astronauts. Three Chinese astronauts competing to be the nation's first man in space were at the launch site, but it was not clear which one was to be chosen to fly. But various Chinese media are saying Yang Liwei, a fighter pilot in his late 30s, was probably picked for the job. Plans call for the spacecraft to orbit the earth 14 times before landing in Inner Mongolia.
On Tuesday, Chinese authorities canceled a planned live broadcast of the blast off without explanation.
A Hong Kong newspaper quotes Chinese media sources as saying the decision to scrap live launch coverage stemmed from official concerns that pictures of a possible launch failure could damage China's image abroad.
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