China's pilotless Shenzhou 2 reentry module returned to Earth Tuesday, a steppingstone mission that bolsters the country's bid to become the third nation to launch humans into orbit. A large segment of the Chinese spacecraft remains in space.
The reentry section of the Shenzhou 2 landed to the east of its takeoff point, the South Launch Center -- a newly developed rocket complex at the Jiuquan Satellite Center in Gansu province.
Shenzhou 2 was boosted into orbit January 10 by a Long March 2F launcher. Spending nearly a week in space, the landing capsule touched down in China's Inner Mongolia at 7:22 p.m. local time, according to a State-run television broadcast.
This is the second test hop of the automated Shenzhou vehicle. A maiden trek of the craft saw a November 19, 1999 liftoff, with the vehicle looping around Earth 14 times before landing. That first voyage of the spacecraft lasted just 21 hours.
On the second outing of the spaceship, it not only remained in Earth orbit for a longer time, it was also put through an extensive set of maneuvers.
Module still in orbit
Before retrofire took place to bring the reentry section down to Earth, the Shenzhou 2 cast off a two-ton "orbital" module.
That section is apparently carrying some experiments, and is replete with its own solar panels and attitude control thrusters.
China space expert, Phillip Clark, of Molniya Space Consultancy in Great Britain, told SPACE.com that the still-orbiting module is likely to continue operating for some six months.
"But it's unclear whether the limit is set by the expected orbital lifetime of the module before atmospheric reentry, or by the expected lifetime of the electronics on the module," Clark said.
The U.S. Space Command in Colorado Springs, Colorado has tracked and catalogued the large module by radar tracking the segment as it spins around Earth.
Heavenly maneuvers
The maneuvers done by Shenzhou 2 are the kinds of things one would expect if the Chinese were doing a dress-rehearsal for a space station docking, said Clark.
Next up, however, are more test flights of the pilotess Shenzhou system. Perhaps one to three more flights are on the books before the craft carries passengers, Clark said.
"If Shenzhou 3 is as smooth a flight as Shenzhou 2 seems to have been," Clark said, "then perhaps they will fly their first two "taikonauts" on Shenzhou 4 during 2002."
Clark said that it is also possible that Chinese space officials will take a conservative approach, flying a fourth craft also in automatic mode. They may also be eyeing a nose-to-nose docking of two automated Shenzhou spacecraft. But that step would depend on how confident the Chinese have become with operating the vehicle, he said.
Headed for a first?
Marcia Smith, a space policy analyst for the Congressional Research Service, said this is a first step for China to acquire the ability to launch humans into space.
"But the key is how much China is willing to invest in human spaceflight. That will determine how quickly they actually accomplish the goal," Smith said.
While the Shenzhou appears similar in design to the Russian-built Soyuz capsule, the Chinese spacecraft is physically larger. It can carry two to three, perhaps four people, Clark said. That means China is starting with a 'second-generation spacecraft' contrasted with the historical growth of Soviet and American abilities in the human spaceflight arena, he said.
If China propels a multi-passenger crew into the cosmos the first time out, it would be a first. Both Russia and America flew only single-seater craft in the premier days of each country's human spaceflight programs.
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