New Launch Spells Giant Leap for China

China has moved closer to its first manned space flight after yesterday's successful launch of an unpiloted craft for seven days of tests in orbit.

The Shenzhou IV (Divine Vessel) blasted off soon after midnight local time in the Gobi desert, north-western China, before an audience of enthusiastic national leaders.

Newspapers delayed publication to carry news of the launch, headlined in the People's Daily as "Flying into space - and flying towards glory".

Propelled by a Long March II/F rocket, the capsule aims to test aspects of the life support, navigation and emergency systems need for a manned flight. It has already been used in practice sessions by some of the 14 astronauts - known in China as taikonauts - who are being trained for manned flight.

The official Chinese news agency said that yesterday's launch could soon lead to China's first manned space voyage. After the last Shenzhou flight in March, the project's chief engineer said that a manned flight was probable "within two years".

President Jiang Zemin has been keen to associate himself with the project; the two characters for Shenzhou were painted on the rocket to replicate Mr Jiang's calligraphy.

As well as transporting complex instruments to be tested in space, the Shenzhou IV also carried 100 peony seeds in a novel experiment to measure the effect of exposure to zero gravity. Experts hope the seeds will eventually produce plants up to four times higher than the average.

All the taikonauts have been selected from the ranks of air force fighter pilots.

Manned space flight is seen by the party hierarchy as an essential attribute of great power status. Plans are also being made for the construction of a space station, and there has been talk about missions to the moon and even further into the solar system.

Yuan Jiajun, general commander of the Shenzhou IV mission, was quoted yesterday as predicting that one day space travel would be available to any Chinese who could pay for it.

"It will be like taking a public bus in the air," he told the China Youth Daily.