China set for spacewalk mission

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Three Chinese astronauts are preparing to blast off from a remote launch site in western China on a mission that will include the country's first ever spacewalk.

The three-day journey into space is being touted as another giant leap for China's ambitious space programme, which has plans to build a space station and eventually put Chinese astronauts on the moon.

The flight on board the Shenzhou VII spacecraft is only China's third manned spaceflight, but it will be the first to carry the capsule's full complement of three astronauts.

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The spacecraft is set for launch between 9:07pm and 10:27pm (13:07 and 14:27 GMT)
on Thursday evening from the Jiuquan space centre in China's northwestern Gansu province.

It will be blasted into orbit atop a Long March II-F rocket, considered the workhorse of China's rocket fleet, and is projected to return to Earth on Sunday in the sparsely populated region of Inner Mongolia.

China launched its first man into space in October 2003, making it only the third country - after the US and Russia - capable of independently launching humans into space.

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That launch saw the pioneer astronaut, Yang Liwei, rocketing from a nobody to the status of instant national hero, appearing at a series of major events and acting as one of the torch bearers in the relay ahead of the Beijing Olympic games in August.

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Political analysts say China's communist leaders have been keen to use the country's achievements in space as a demonstration of economic and technological progress under their rule.

"It's all about politics," Dr Morris Jones, an Australia-based space analyst who has closely followed China's space programme, told Al Jazeera.

He said the launch had been timed to "capitalise on the success and publicity surrounding their recent hosting of the Olympic games".

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The latest launch also comes at a politically significant time, with the government eager to rally national pride amid a spiralling health scandal over contaminated milk.

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Among those at the launch site to witness the rocket lift-off is Xi Jingping, China's vice-president and the man widely seen as a top candidate to become China's leader when power shifts hands in four years' time.

Also on hand will be a team of Russian experts, offering advice and assistance during the spacewalk.

The walk - known formally as an Extravehicular Activity (EVA) - is the focal point for the Shenzhou VII mission.

It is expected to take place on Friday or Saturday and will be conducted by Zhai Zhigang, a 42-year-old colonel in the Chinese air force.

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Zhai's EVA is being seen as a key step in China's plans to build an orbiting space station during future missions by linking up various components launched separately from Earth.

It is an extremely risky endeavour, with only a few layers of multi-million dollar spacesuit protecting Zhai from the deadly vacuum of space as he travels at more than seven kilometres a second around the Earth.

But speaking earlier this week Zhai said more than 10 years of training had prepared him to undertake the mission.

"This is something that has historical meaning and is a glorious mission for us," he told reporters in a pre-launch press conference.

"As an astronaut, it is the greatest honour to represent our country and go into space."