New Delhi: After the Americans and the Russians, it’s now China’s turn Chinese astronauts are all set to perform the country's first ever space walk..
China will launch Shenzhou 7 — its third manned space mission from the desert town of Jiuquan in its north western region — on Thursday.
Shenzhou 7 is being touted as China’s most ambitious space project so far, with one of the three Chinese astronauts carrying out a 40-minute space walk.
The mission will help Chinese astronauts master docking techniques needed for construction of space stations.
“We have the confidence, determination and the ability to walk the first step in space for the Chinese people," said Shenzhou VII astronaut Jing Haipeng.
"Shenzhou 7 is another breakthrough and a new forward leap for our country's manned space programme. This is something that has historical meaning and therefore is a glorious mission for us,” Haipeng added.
For India, the timing is hardly a coincidence. The Shenzhou 7 launches exactly a month before India's first mission to the moon — the unmanned Chandrayaan — goes to space. Besides that, China too has three lunar missions in the making:
- A rover landing on the moon slated for 2012
- A mission to return with samples from the moon in 2015
- A manned lunar expedition in 2017, which is three years ahead of the US' target of returning to the moon
Unlike other countries, China's scientific programme is not open to public debates or subject to insufficient budgetary allocations, and a fusion of political will and scientific appetite makes them strong contenders to overtake the US in the race to space.
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