A Chinese spacecraft carrying three astronauts on board marked an important milestone on Sunday, June 24, docking manually with an orbiting module. This achievement is an important step forward for China in its goal to build a space station by 2020. The Shenzhou 9 capsule aligned with the Taingong 1 module on Sunday, drawing huge audiences as the maneuver was streamed live on national television.
According to Wu Ping, a spokesperson for China's manned space program, the capsule was controlled using hand levers to position it to dock with the orbiting Taingong 1 module. The maneuver was "precise and perfect," and the three astronauts worked "calmly and skillfully," Wu told reporters in Beijing. "This success in manual docking represents a major breakthrough in our space rendezvous and docking technologies," added the spokesperson.
One of the three astronauts, 33-year-old Liu Yang, is China's first woman in space, and has become a national hero since the crew launched into space last week from the Jiuguan space center in western China's Gobi Desert. The other two members of the crew are 45-year old Jing Haipeng and 43-year-old Liu Wang. The crew has been living and working in the module since last week's launch into space on June 16.
The Shenzhou 9's successful launching and docking maneuvers mark an important milestone in China's plans to build a permanent space station by 2010, allowing it to move forward towards this goal. The country also aims to eventually send a Chinese astronaut on the moon.
In an effort to catch up to the United Space and Russia in terms of space missions, China has invested billions of dollars in its space program. So far, only the U.S. and Russia have sent independently-maintained space stations into orbit. The first Chinese astronaut launched into space in 2003, and in 2008 a Chinese astronaut completed a spacewalk. According to American space experts, the pace and scope of the Chinese space program is truly impressive.
"We wish China's manned submersible can make greater achievements!" the three Chinese astronauts said in a video message sent from the Tiagong 1 module on Sunday. "May our motherland prosper!"
