As China's Shenzhou-VI was successfully launched in Jiuquan, Gansu Province at 9 am October 12 three leading western news agencies raced to report the launch of the spacecraft in the first instance, according to xinhuanet.com.

The Associated Press was the first to report the event 41 seconds after the launch of Shenzhou-VI, saying the flight will be much more complicated than that of Shenzhou-V. It also says Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao paid visit to the astronauts before Shenzhou-VI blasted off.

The AP reported from Jiayuguan the news of impending launch before Shenzhou-VI was launched and said it is a more ambitious flight.

The report says compared with Shenzhou-V in 2003 the flight is more complicated. The astronauts will stay in the space for five days. They will get off the 10-kilogram space suits and enter the orbit cabin from the return cabin. After the astronauts return the earth in the return cabin the orbit cabin will continue to fly in the space.

The AFP sent a one-sentence newsflash from Jiuquan 42 seconds after the launch: China launched second manned spaceflight. It sent a more detailed piece five minutes later and then one that reports Shenzhou-VI entering the orbit. The AFP report says China turned a new page in China's advance into the rank of world aerospace powers.

The Reuters issued a newsflash at 9:02 a.m. saying the launch is only two years away from China joining the elite club of world aerospace powers.

The Reuters issued a few reports from Jiuquan before the launch accentuating Premier Wen Jiabao's encouragements to the astronauts: "You will once again demonstrate to the world that the Chinese people have the will, confidence and ability to climb the scientific and technological summits one after another."

The report also links the spaceflight with the holding of the 5th plenum of the 16th Central Committee of Communist Party of China and the 10th National Games, saying the launch is only one day after the closing of the Plenum, which enacted the development plan for the next five years of the world' 7th largest economic entity. The report also says the National Games is a small-scale Olympics before Beijing hosts the 2008 Olympics.

By People's Daily Online