China plans to launch its first manned space flight between Oct. 15 and Oct. 17, the official Xinhua news agency said yesterday. It quoted an unnamed official in charge of China's manned space program.
Other fresh clues were offered yesterday to its first manned space flight, with one official newspaper saying the craft would orbit Earth 14 times and another highlighting plans for a music video to accompany the launch.
The English-language China Daily did not specify the date of the launch in its most detailed report so far on a mission China has kept under tight wraps.
PHOTO: EPA
But sources with two major state-run television stations and a tour operator have said the launch, barring bad weather, is provisionally set for the next Wednesday morning.
In a front-page report based on a story from the Shanghai-based Liberation Daily, the China Daily echoed details of the launch that have peppered official Web sites posting reports from local, foreign and Hong Kong media in recent days.
It said a single astronaut from 14 candidates, all experienced fighter pilots, would fly the spacecraft, which is known as the Shenzhou, or "Divine Ship," and would circle the Earth at least 14 times.
The 14 candidates have since been narrowed down to a shortlist of three.
Qi Faren, chief designer of the vessel, was quoted as saying he and his colleagues were confident about the mission despite the fact China had so far conducted only four unmanned test flights due to "limited funds."
Hong Kong's Beijing-backed Wen Wei Po said the craft would fly for 21 hours, or 90 minutes per orbit, before floating back down to Earth the next morning.
The astronauts will be armed with a gun and knives in case the capsule comes down in hostile territory, a state-run newspaper said yesterday.
"The craft may land in the ocean or in the forests in a hostile environment," Qi said.
"For the safety of the astronauts, they will take a lot of things with them like a pistol, knife and other rescue equipment including a tent and liferaft so they will be able to deal with wild beasts, sharks and other dangerous animals or enemies."
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