Wu Ping (R, Back), spokeswoman for China's manned space program, speaks during a press conference in Jiuquan of northwest China's Gansu Province, Oct. 31, 2011. (Xinhua/Li Gang)
JIUQUAN -- The aerospace community considers space rendezvous and docking between orbiters a difficult technology and highly risky, a spokeswoman for China's manned space program told a press conference Monday.
China plans to launch Shenzhou-8, the unmanned spacecraft, at 5:58 a.m. Tuesday from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the northwestern Gobi desert, spokeswoman Wu Ping said.
The spacecraft is expected to attempt China's first rendezvous and docking with Tiangong-1, an unmanned space lab module sent into space in late September.
"It is fairly difficult and risky to link up two vehicles travelling at high speeds in orbit, with a margin of error of no more than 20 centimeters," Wu said.
There were incidents of collisions between space vehicles in the early days of docking attempts, and recent docking missions involving the International Space Station did not always run smoothly, Wu said.
Nearly 100 contingency plans have been prepared and exercised to address problems that may occur during the mission, Wu said, adding that all people involved in the mission are confident about a successful docking.
The automated control system and docking system are crucial to the mission, and simulated tests have been done various times on the ground, she said.
"We have full confidence in the successful launch of Shenzhou-8, as well as the rendezvous and docking mission," Wu said.
by Zhou Erjie
