A yuhangyuan ("astronaut") could make history and become an instant hero in China with the launch of Shenzhou-5 (SZ-5) that may take place on October 10, an aerospace forum posted the unconfirmed information on Tuesday (Aug. 12). One of the posts on the forum cited the launch date from news that originated from the Xi'an Satellite Control Centre (XSCC) in Shaanxi Province. The poster emphasized, however, that the accuracy of the information could not be guaranteed. But a report in Wednesday's (Aug. 13) Wen Wei Po appears to support the timeframe of the launch. The local newspaper said that the launch of SZ-5 would happen after the weeklong celebration of the National Day, which is on Oct. 1. The report also said that news of the purported launch on National Day was not accurate. On Sunday (Aug. 10), the 24-hour satellite news channel Phoenix TV quoted information from the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense (COSTIND) that SZ-5 would be launched on time in October.

But the TV news report did not mention a specific date. Another post on the aerospace forum wrote that SZ-5 would be a mission involving only a single yuhangyuan. The information came from an unidentified technician at the Chinese Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), the manufacturer of the Changzheng-2F (Long March-2F) launcher that would send SZ-5 into space.

View: Full Article | Source: Space Daily