China Successfully Launches Manned Space Mission
China has successfully launched a rocket carrying two of its astronauts into space. This second space mission was conducted from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert and was broadcast live on national television.
The expedition will see the astronauts aboard Shenzhou 6 orbiting the Earth for a duration of five days, during which they will conduct various experiments. This mission occurs exactly two years after China’s first manned spaceflight.
In a sign of growing confidence, the spacecraft launch was aired live on national television, breaking the secrecy typically associated with military-led space programs. The astronauts undertaking this mission, Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng, were selected through a rigorous selection process.
China’s national television quoted the two astronauts before the launch stating, “There is nothing to worry about.” They added, “We are determined to complete the mission. See you in Beijing.”
Shenzhou 6, like its predecessor Shenzhou 5, is based on the Russian Soyuz spacecraft design, which has been developed since the late 1960s.
The spacecraft is set to land back on Earth in a remote area of Inner Mongolia in the north.
