China will launch its first manned spacecraft at an appropriate time between Oct. 15 and 17, an official in charge of the country's manned spaceflight program announced in Beijing Friday.

"The Shenzhou (Divine Vessel) V spacecraft will carry out the first manned space mission and will lift off from the China Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center," said the official. "Now all preparatory work for the launch is progressing smoothly."

The spacecraft will orbit the Earth 14 times before landing in pre-selected areas, the official noted.

As planned, the spacecraft will first fly on an elliptic orbit with the orbital inclination angle of 42.4 degrees. The orbital perigee altitude is 200 km, and the apogee is 350 km. It will then shift to a circular orbit with an altitude of 343 km.

Following strict tests, training and selection, a team of "taikonauts", or astronauts named after the Chinese word for "space", has been formed for the mission, said the official, adding that they have passed "a comprehensive drill".

(Xinhua News Agency October 11, 2003)