Beijing, Nov 1: China today successfully launched an unmanned spacecraft for its maiden docking mission, paving the way for its first space station by 2020 to rival Mir, the space lab being run by Russian and US astronauts.
The launch of unmanned spacecraft Shenzhou-8 in the early hours today from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest Gobi desert was successful, Commander-in-chief of China's manned space programme Chang Wanquan announced. The spacecraft was sent into the designated orbit by Long March-2F rocket.
It is heading for rendezvous with Tiangong-1, or “the Heavenly Palace” that was put into space on September 29 for the country's first space docking, which was expected to take place in the next two days.
The move, if successful, will pave the way for China to operate a permanent space station around 2020 and make it the world's third to do so after the US and Russia. This will be the second space station after the Mir space lab launched in 2001 by Russia.
Mir is currently managed by Russian and US space programmes.
The docking of the Shenzhou-8 will take place at a height of 343 km above the Earth's surface. It will return to the Earth after two docking tryouts.
Chinese and German scientists will conduct 17 life science space experiments on the Chinese spacecraft Shenzhou-8, Wu Ping, spokeswoman for China's manned space programme, said.
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