China put its first woman into orbit today, one of the three astronauts to attempt a critical space docking in the latest challenge for the country's ambitious space programme.
A Long March rocket blasted off in the early evening from the remote Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the northwestern Gobi Desert, carrying with it the Shenzhou 9 spacecraft and the three astronauts, including 33-year-old woman fighter pilot Liu Yang.
This is China's fourth manned space mission since 2003 when astronaut Yang Liwei became the country's first person in orbit, and comes as the United States has curtailed manned launches over budget concerns and changing priorities.
0 comments:
Post a Comment