Tiangong-1 to Be Launched by Month End（在线收听）

China is poised to launch the prototype of its first space lab Tiangong-1 by the end of this month.

A senior official at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the northwestern Gansu Province has revealed that the space module will be launched either on September 29th or the 30th.

CRI's Shuangfeng reports from Jiuquan.

 
The Tiangong-1 unmanned space lab was previously scheduled for launch on September 27th at the earliest.

Cui Jijun, Director of the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, says the launch has been rescheduled for the 29th or 30th because of adverse weather conditions.

"Everything is ready now except for the right weather. The weather conditions on the 27th and the 28th are not favorable for the launch, so we have decided to put it off to sometime between the 29th and the 30th. It's ready to launch. But it will not be irreversible until the rocket is fuelled. So we still have much leeway with picking the final date for the launch."

The final preparations for the launch are under way in Jiuquan, which is on the border between Gansu Province and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

Cui Jijun also said that scientists will carry out a thorough examination of the Long March 2F carrier rocket before the launch.

"At this stage, we will carry out a thorough examination of the carrier rocket and the launch pad. So far, a power-on test of the space module has been completed. We are now getting ready to fuel the rocket."

A public relations official at the launch site said fuel loading usually begins one day before the launch.

The 8.5-ton Tiangong I space lab has a two-year lifetime. It will carry out two docking tests with the unmanned Shenzhou-8 spacecraft, which China plans to launch in early November.

The carrier rocket for the Shenzhou 8 spacecraft has also arrived at the launch center.

Tiangong I will carry out a series of scientific experiments in space.

The space lab is expected to perform two manned docking missions with the Shenzhou 9 and 10, which will be launched during the next two years.

The spacecraft rendezvous and docking missions are expected to pave the way for the building of a planned space station scheduled for 2020.

For CRI, this is Shuangfeng in Jiuquan.