China’s third manned spaceflight blasts off

China’s third manned space mission has blasted-off from a remote launch site in the north-west of the country. The Shenzou VII capsule was carried aloft by a Long March II F rocket from Gansu province with three astronauts on board.

The flight is expected to last about 70 hours and will include the first ever spacewalk by a Chinese astronaut, 42-year old fighter pilot Zhai Zhigang. China’s President Hu Jintao met the three astronauts before lift-off.

The rocket will put the capsule in a near-circular orbit more than 300 kilometers above Earth. Zhai is scheduled to make his spacewalk tomorrow when he will retrieve an externally positioned experiment. He will also oversee the release of a satellite.

Five satellite-tracking ships have been strategically placed to follow the craft’s three day journey. Helicopters and recovery vehicles will be on standby for its return to Earth in Inner Mongolia in northern China.

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