China to delay launch of Shenzhou-7 spacecraft to 2008

China will postpone the launch of its third manned space mission Shenzhou-7 spacecraft for about half a year to 2008, a senior consultant to the country's space program said Saturday in Beijing.

"There is nothing wrong. We just need more time to prepare for the mission," said Huang Chunping, chief consultant for China's manned launching vehicle system, in an exclusive interview with Xinhua.

Tang Xianming, director of the China Manned Space Engineering Office, announced last year that the next manned mission would take place in 2007 and would include a spacewalk.

The timetable depends on when researchers can tackle the key problem of the space suit, which will play a critical role in the anticipated space mission that includes a one-man space walking, said Huang, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

Huang, commander-in-chief of the rocket system for Shenzhou-5, China's first manned mission, is in Beijing attending CPPCC National Committee's annual session, which started on Friday afternoon and will last about ten days till March 13.

The Shenzhou-7 spacecraft is a complicated program, which will involve careful design, tests, modification, trial production, assessment by experts and experiments before final production, according to Huang.

He promised that China is fully capable of tackling all technological problems.

The Shenzhou-7 program is expected to carry three astronauts, while its predecessor Shenzhou-6 transport two into space for a five-day tour in October last year.

China's first spaceman Yang Liwei made a 21-hour orbital tour aboard Shenzhou-5 in October, 2003, making China the third country after the United States and former Soviet Union to achieve the feat.

Source: Xinhua