China Successfully Launches Shenzhou-9 Spacecraft to Orbit
16 Jun 2012, 18:34 UTC
China’s Most Ambitious Space Mission Yet JIUQUAN, Gansu, China — China launched its newest spacecraft read more »
China’s Most Ambitious Space Mission Yet
JIUQUAN, Gansu, China — China launched its newest spacecraft Saturday on a 13-day mission to orbit. Shenzhou-9, atop an upgraded Long March-2F carrier rocket, blast off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China at 6:37 p.m. Saturday.
The Long March-2F rocket lifts off successfully. It’s 58 meters long, with a takeoff weight of 497 tons and a carrying capacity in excess of 8,130 kilograms. – Image credit: Xinhua — Click to Enlarge
The Shenzhou-9 spacecraft carries China’s first female astronaut Liu Yang. The China National Space Administration (CNSA) has now sent eight astronauts into space, including two-time space traveler Jing Haipeng, who is onboard the spacecraft with Liu Yang and Liu Wang, the third member of the crew.
The commander-in-chief of China’s manned space program Chang Wanquan announced Saturday that the Shenzhou-9 spacecraft had accurately entered its orbit, calling the spaceship launch a success.
Two docking procedures, one automated and another manual, will be conducted between Shenzhou-9 and the orbiting space lab module Tiangong-1.
The rendezvous and docking will mark a major ...
