Since the accompanying satellite of Shenzhou VII was launched from the orbital module on September 26, 2008, it has been running successfully for 100 days, which indicates that China has mastered primary technology of accompanying satellite, according to Beijing Aerospace Control Center.
During the operation of the Shenzhou VII accompanying satellite, ground control staff remotely changed the track of the satellite 13 times. The satellite has been circling the orbital module on an elliptical track from far away to close by, with the furthest distance being 7.6 kilometers and the nearest distance being 3.8 kilometers.
During the orbiting process, the two cameras on the satellite have transmitted back several thousand complete pictures of the orbital module, all of clear quality.
Although the accompanying satellite has completed its historical mission, because the satellite still has some fuel left, ground control staff will carry out scientific experiments including "orbital control" to accumulate data for the further mastering of accompanying satellite technology.
In addition, after wrapping up promotional visits to different localities, the three taikonauts of the Shenzhou VII mission will resume regular physical training in order to make preparations for the next step of China's mission of building a space station.
By People's Daily Online
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