spacetoday.net: China offers hints on future Shenzhou, station plans

Posted: Sat, Nov 8, 2003, 8:48 AM ET (1348 GMT)
Chinese officials said this week that the country is planning to develop a space station within the next ten years, but offered few specific details about the next Chinese manned flight. Hu Shixiang, billed by the AP as a "leading" Chinese space official, said in Hong Kong this week that they country wants to construct a space station, as well as perform a spacewalk and develop docking technology, within the next ten years. The statement was the first concrete statement of the country's manned space goals for the foreseeable future. Other reports in the last week suggested that China planned to launch two people on its next manned flight, Shenzhou 6, that would spend up to a week in orbit. However, official Chinese media reported that the number of astronauts that will fly on Shenzhou 6 remains undecided. The launch of Shenzhou 6 is planned for within the next two years.