Manned space mission set for October
By Xing Zhigang (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-03-05 15:45

China's first spacewalk is scheduled to take place in October, a senior space engineer said Wednesday.

Wang Yongzhi, the former chief designer of China's manned space program told China Daily the launch of Shenzhou VII will take place after the Olympic (Aug. 8 to 24) and Paralympic Games (Sept. 6 to17)

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"Shenzhou VII will be launched around October, if everything goes smoothly," he said on the sidelines of the ongoing 11th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

"The precise launch date will be decided according to weather conditions at the time," Wang said.

Shenzhou VII will be the country's third manned mission. The last two manned spacecrafts, Shenzhou V and Shenzhou VI, were launched, respectively, on Oct 15, 2003 and Oct 12, 2005.