Two years later, Shenzhou-2 lifted off carrying small animals, and in 2003,
China sent its first man into space. Since then, it has completed a
spacewalk in 2008 and an unmanned docking between a module and rocket last
year.
Most recently, a 13-day voyage of the Shenzhou-9 spacecraft became China’s
longest-ever space mission and was notable for including the nation’s first
woman astronaut among its three-member crew.
The crew also achieved China’s first manual docking with an orbital module,
the Tiangong-1, a highly complex manoeuvre first conducted by the Americans
in the 1960s and essential to building a permanent manned space station.
Next year’s planned lunar probe launch will follow the Chang’e 1 in 2007 and
Chang’e 2 in 2010, both named for the Chinese goddess of the moon.
Xinhua quoted the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for
National Defence as saying the project was proceeding smoothly.
Source: agencies
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