China completed its first manual space docking yesterday, a landmark step in the country's programme to build a space station by 2020.
The Shenzhou-IX spacecraft and its three-person crew, including the country's first spacewoman, Liu Yang, docked with the Tiangong-1 space module at around 12.50pm, with state television covering the event live.
The successful experiment has demonstrated China's capabilities to safely transport crew and cargoes to a space station if the autopilot system of the spacecraft suffers malfunctions or a breakdown, according to scientists at the China Academy of Space Technology.
They also said the mastery of manual docking technology coupled with a reliable autopilot docking system showed that China was now technically ready to transport cargo or crew to the International Space Station. Beijing is willing to do so before the launch of its own space station in 2020, they added.
Wu Ping, spokeswoman for China's manned space programme, said in Beijing yesterday that the docking was 'a complete success' and a breakthrough in the country's space programme. Since the manned space programme started in 1992, it had cost less than 40 billion yuan, she added.
The arrangements and date for the mission next year, Shenzhou-X, would be decided after a full review of the current mission and the status of the orbiting Tiangong-1 lab module, she said. The Shenzhou-X mission will also include a manned rendezvous and docking with Tiangong-1.
Wu praised the 'excellent performance' over the past eight days of the first Chinese female astronaut, Liu Yang.