China Floats Plans for Longer Spaceflights
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Emboldened by the success of their orbiting taikonaut, Chinese space officials talked openly for the first time about their plans, confirming suggestions that Beijing wants a long-term presence in space.
The next Shenzhou flight should take place “within one or two years,” said Xie Mingbao, the Chinese manned space program’s chief engineer.
He said that after a series of flights to master skills in spacewalking and docking, China planned to launch a space lab that could support a crew for limited periods. “The third step is to develop a space station,” he said at a news conference.
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