Tim Furniss
China will launch two astronauts into space in about 2003 following the first unmanned test flight of the spacecraft and booster system in 2000.
Officials at China Great Wall Industry (CGWIC) confirmed some details of the manned space programme yesterday.
New interest in the programme has been created by the appearance on several Internet sites of pictures of the Long March 2F booster, with its manned spacecraft, being rolled out to the pad at Jiuquan.
The pictures were reportedly taken by Mongolian construction company workers at the new Jiuquan launch pad and leaked.
The pictures confirm most of what has been known about the programme and reported in Flight International.
The booster is an uprated version of the Long March 2E satellite launch vehicle and the spacecraft is based on the design of the Russian Soyuz T craft which makes regular trips to and from the Mir space station.
Liu Zhixiong, a vice-president at China Great Wall Industry, confirmed to Flight Daily News that, although he was not authorised to give full details of what is a government, not commercial, programme, the manned space rocket and craft are under development and an unmanned test flight is scheduled for 2000.
The pictures clearly show the Long March 2E-based design with a Russian Soyuz-like payload shroud on top of the booster, together with a Soyuz-class launch escape tower.
Vertical
He said that the main difference in the processing of the Long March booster was that it is conducted in the vertical position in a purpose-built facility at Jiuquan and, unlike other Long March boosters, the vehicle is rolled to the launch pad vertically.
Another CGWIC representative confirmed that a manned flight was possible in 2003.
China has been working closely with Russia in the design of the spacecraft and two astronauts have undergone a Soyuz training programme.
Source: Flight Daily News