Sources from the China Manned Space Flight Engineering Office said that the Shenzhou VII space flight, China's third manned space flight, would be launched in 2008 with the mission of a space walk.

Wang Zhougui, director of the office, revealed in a lecture in that the development of China's space program would take three steps in the near future: First, Shenzhou VII will carry astronauts to space for a space walk in 2008; second, Shenzhou VIII will fly into space with the more significant mission of a space dock; and third, China will establish her own space station, third only after the United States and former Soviet Union.

According to Wang, compared with the Shenzhou VI astronauts, who never walked out of their spacecraft during their 5-day space travel, Shenzhou VII astronauts would try to get out in space to "take a breath" of the space air, according to a report in Shanghai Morning Post.

"The space walking astronauts will walk in the self-made space suit and do some space experiments. Our initial plans are to have 1 or 2 astronauts walk in space for about half an hour," said Wang, adding that the exact walking time would be finally fixed depending on the mission progressing at that time.

Shenzhou VIII, with the mission of a space dock, will be launched around 2009 to 2011. Wang continued to explain that the space docks refer to those between two space flights or between a space flight and a space capsule.

"We will be able to carry out space aid, space cooperation, and other high-level space missions once we succeed in space docks," Wang said, forecasting a fine future for China's manned space program.

(Chinadaily.com.cn February 25, 2006)