China tests space module for 2011 launch

By IANS,

Beijing : China has finished construction of its first module of an unmanned space station and is testing it for a launch in 2011, a military official has said.

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The 8.5-tonne Tiangong-1 space module will be put into orbit in 2011 and experts are testing its electronic, mechanical and thermal properties, the unnamed official was quoted as saying by China Daily.

A carrier rocket named Long March II-F will launch the Tiangong-1 into space, the official said, adding that a group of Chinese astronauts, including two women, is undergoing training for the purpose.

Once the space module is launched, China will dock a spacecraft there during the second half of 2011.