China announced Sat it was going to launch a second space mission, following its first manned shuttle trip last year. It came out as main contender to the USA and Russia, the only other countries to have sent manned spacecraft into orbit. Photo by Xinhua.
China will launch its second manned space mission next year, state television said Saturday. The Shenzhou 6 will be launched with two astronauts aboard some time in 2005 and will remain in orbit for five to seven days, according to China Central Television. No other details were provided. The official Xinhua News Agency has reported that 14 astronauts are being trained for the next mission. The United States and Russia are the only other countries that have sent manned spacecraft into orbit.