SPACE.com -- Report: China To Launch Fourth Unmanned Space Capsule This Year

Personnel approach the cabin of China's third unmanned spaceship Shenzhou III Monday afternoon, April 1, 2002 which landed in the central Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The spaceship returned to Earth on Monday afternoon and was pronounced technically suitable for astronauts, the government said - the latest step to become the third nation to put people in space. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Li Gang)

A full-sized model of the Shenzhou spacecraft is seen here on display during a 2000 space conference in China. Chinese National Space Administration image.

A chart on display during a 2000 space conference in China depicts the nation's family of Long March rockets. Chinese National Space Administration image.

An artist's concept shows how the Shenzhou 2 capsule might appear as it circles Earth. Image by Simon Zajc for Space.com. Click to enlarge.

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	Report: China To Launch Fourth Unmanned Space Capsule This Year By Associated Press posted: 03:15 pm ET 08 July 2002

BEIJING (AP) _ China will launch its fourth unmanned space capsule this year, taking the country closer to sending a human into orbit, state television said Tuesday

BEIJING (AP) _ China will launch its fourth unmanned space capsule this year, taking the country closer to sending a human into orbit, state television said Tuesday.

The capsule will be technically identical to a craft capable of carrying a crew, the report said. It didn't give a date for the launch.

State media say China plans to launch a human into orbit within three years. It would be only the third country able to do so on its own, after Russia and the United States.

The third Shenzhou capsule _ whose name means ``Sacred Vessel'' _ was launched in March carrying a mannequin in a space suit. After the re-entry portion of the craft landed in northern China, officials said the seven-day flight was a success.

An aerospace official said Tuesday on the evening television news that Shenzhou-IV would be ``exactly the same'' as a craft meant to carry a crew.

However, ``we must guarantee the absolute safety of the astronauts. We still need to conduct further scientific experiments and analysis,'' said Zhang Qingwei, general manager of the Aerospace Technology Group Co.

The secretive, military-linked space program, developed with the help of Russian technology, has released little information and has yet to announce a date for a manned launch.

According to the state press, a group of 12 to 14 Chinese military pilots is in training to ride on the first manned flights.