Chinese woman may reach space by 2012
April 30th, 2011 - 12:41 pm ICT by ANINew Delhi, Apr 30 (ANI): China’s female astronauts could fly into space as soon as the latter half of 2012.
The two women astronauts, both pilots from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force, are the first women astronauts in China.
Yang Liwei, deputy director of China Manned Space Engineering Office and also China’s first astronaut in space, said that next year China will launch two spacecraft to further improve China’s rendezvous and docking technologies and one of the spacecraft will be manned.
“Two to three astronauts will be sent to space in that mission next year,” the China Daily quoted him, as saying.
Fei Junlong, leader of China’s astronaut team, told reporters that the two women astronauts and five men astronauts - the second batch of Chinese astronauts selected last year - have to take a three-year training course before carrying out space missions.
But Yang said that there are possibilities for women to join next year’s mission.
Yang and Fei, as well as Chen Shanguang, director of the Astronaut Center of China, introduced China’s manned space programs to 56 overseas reporters on Friday at the “space town” in the northern Beijing suburb, where astronauts are trained. (ANI)
- China may send women to space in 2012 - May 01, 2011
- China mulls sending female astronauts into space - Oct 31, 2011
- China to launch two space modules - Apr 30, 2011
- China deploys its first women astronauts - May 08, 2010
- China prepares for manned space docking this year - Mar 01, 2012
- China starts training program for seven newly recruited astronauts - May 19, 2010
- Joining Chinese space mission doesn't come easy! (Lead) - Mar 25, 2012
- Joining Chinese space mission doesn't come easy! - Mar 25, 2012
- China to prepare astronauts for long stay in space - Jan 18, 2011
- In a first, Chinese women enrol to become astronauts (Lead) - Sep 17, 2009
- China to put man on the moon by 2030 - Mar 04, 2011
- China to establish manned space station - Nov 03, 2011
- Chinese female astronauts may catch flight - Mar 12, 2012
- China recruits new astronauts - May 07, 2010
- China to go to moon, Mars, Venus and beyond - Sep 20, 2010
Tags: astronaut team, china daily, china manned space, chinese astronauts, chinese woman, deputy director, engineering office, female astronauts, first astronaut in space, first women, five men, leader of china, liberation army, manned space programs, northern beijing, pla air force, space engineering, space missions, space town, spacecraft