China confirms space flight coming next week

BEIJING - After a decade of preparation and months of speculation, China made a concrete commitment Friday to human space travel, announcing plans to launch a manned capsule into orbit.

The tentative date: between Wednesday and Friday next week, "at a proper time." The number of orbits for the still-unidentified first Chinese "taikonaut" and the Shenzhou 5 craft: 14.

The announcement confirms a date many state-controlled Chinese newspapers had been leaking for days.

So common has the knowledge become that travel agencies are organizing tours to the province where the launch pad is located.

The launch, scheduled for the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the northwestern province of Gansu, will come shortly after a major annual Communist Party meeting that concludes Tuesday, suggesting an attempt to link the party's leadership with one of the most patriotism-drenched events in recent Chinese history.

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