Chinese spacecraft set to return to Earth on Friday

The Shenzhou-9 will return to Earth around 10:00 a.m. (0200 GMT) on Friday, the state Xinhua news agency said Thursday, quoting an unnamed space program official.

China launched the spacecraft carrying three crewmembers, including the country's first female astronaut, from the remote Gobi desert in the nation's northwest on June 16.

The Shenzhou-9 manually linked with the Tiangong-1 space module in orbit on Sunday, the key goal of the mission and a milestone in an ambitious program to build a space station by the end of the decade.

China's rulers see the space program as a symbol of the country's rising global stature, growing technical expertise and the Communist Party's success in turning around the fortunes of the once poverty-stricken nation.

The spacecraft had docked automatically early in its mission, but mastering manual docking is necessary as a back up to reduce risk.

SHARE CLOSE
Blogger		Google+
Live Journal		Plurk
Stumble Upon

Tweet

	PREVIOUS ARTICLE
	US clears China, Singapore from Iran oil sanctions

NEXT ARTICLE
China starts 'combat ready' patrols in disputed seas

Write a Comment

Terms

Enter your comments - 3000 characters max

Type in image code

 Receive China Post promos
 Respond to this email

Submit