China will launch its second manned spacecraft, Shenzhou VI, this morning — two years after Shenzhou V spent 21 hours orbiting Earth, top officials with China’s manned space program confirmed yesterday.
Unlike Shenzhou V, two astronauts will be aboard Shenzhou VI when it blasts off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China’s Gansu Province.
Wang Yongzhi, chief designer of China’s manned spaceflight program, said the two astronauts on Shenzhou VI will for the first time enter the orbital module from the reentry capsule and “live and work several days” under micro-gravity conditions.
Astronaut Yang Liwei became the first Chinese national to travel in space when Shenzhou V was launched in October 2003.
Liu Yu, commander in chief of the rocket system, said the rocket used to launch Shenzhou VI will be more reliable and safe than the one that launched Shenzhou V.
“We have confidence in the quality of this rocket. We have the conditions and capability to fulfill this mission,” said Liu.
“Preparations for the launch are going well,” he said. The two astronauts, whose names remain secret, will also enjoy a more comfortable journey than their predecessor Yang Liwei, since massive technological improvements have been made to the carrier Long March IIF and the spaceship.
A food heater in the spaceship means that astronauts can enjoy hot meals, unlike Yang who could only eat cold food.
An excrement collecting device will also be used for the first time.
At the end of the scheduled mission, the spacecraft will return to the main landing field in a central area of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, an official with the Jiuquan headquarters said.
The astronauts for the scheduled space mission have been decided, after strict training, selection and assessment, and they have completed comprehensive ground drills, the official said.
After the take-off of Shenzhou VI, the operation of the vessel will be put under the command of Beijing general headquarters for the flight mission, headed by Chen Bingde, a member of the Central Military Commission and head of the People’s Liberation Army General Armament Department, until the end of the mission.
According to China’s aerospace development plan, the country’s manned space program will be carried out in three stages, culminating in the establishment of a permanent space station.
China has completed the first stage of the program,  sending unmannedspacecraft and a manned spacecraft into near-earth orbit.
Shenzhou VI will mark the beginning of the second stage, which will include astronauts leaving the ship for a space walk, and docking between capsule and space module.
The third stage calls for the creation of a permanent space laboratory and a space engineering system, and Chinese astronauts and scientists will travel between Earth and the space station to conduct scientific experiments.
China will continue to use its Long March IIF rocket to carry Shenzhou VI into orbit.
China National Radio, and China Central Television are expected to begin broadcasting today’s launch between 8am and 9am.