China to launch second space mission in October

July 15, 2005

China looks to launch its second manned space mission in October, two years after its first flight, a newspaper reported Friday. The government planned to launch a two-man crew into orbit in September or October on a five to six day flight.

The capsule will "preferably be launched in early October," said Sun Weigang, the director of the Space Department of the, said in the report in the  newspaper. Chinese officials say to they plan to land an unmanned probe on the moon by 2010 and operate a space station.