China becomes No. 3 in orbit

GOBI DESERT, China - China launched its first manned space mission today, sending an astronaut hurtling into orbit and becoming the third country in history to do so - four decades after the Soviet Union and the United States.

With a column of smoke, the Shenzhou 5 craft cut across a bright, azure northwest China sky at exactly 9 a.m. (9 p.m. Eastern). The official Xinhua News Agency immediately confirmed the launch and said the astronaut was Yang Liwei, 38.

"China's first manned spacecraft, the Shenzhou 5, blasted off," Xinhua said. State television cut into its programming to announce the launch, though no footage was shown.

Minutes later, a CCTV announcer said that Shenzhou 5 and Yang had "entered orbit at 9:10." (9:10 p.m. Eastern).

It was the culmination of a decade of efforts by China's military-linked manned space program - and a patriotism-drenched moment for a communist government more concerned than ever about its profile on the world stage.

Security was tight around the remote Gobi Desert base, some 175 miles northeast of Jiuquan.

This morning, the only road to the launch site was crowded with traffic, including military vehicles and civilian tour buses. But private cars were turned back and phone calls to the base were blocked.

China kept details of the event secret, saying in advance only that the launch would take place between today and Friday and that the astronaut would orbit the Earth 14 times. Yang was identified as a lieutenant colonel.

The Shenzhou 5 launch came after four test launches of unmanned capsules that orbited the Earth for nearly a week before parachuting back to China's northern grasslands. State media say the manned flight is expected to last about 20 hours.

"The launch of Shenzhou 5 is long-awaited by the Chinese people," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said earlier. She said the flight was a key step in the "peaceful development of space" - a reflection of China's effort to reassure the world that its military-linked program is benign.

The Shenzhou, or "Divine Vessel," is based on the three-seat Russian Soyuz capsule, though with extensive modifications. China also paid Moscow to train at least two astronauts.

Chinese media reported earlier that Yang Liwei has been a pilot since 1983. Yang reportedly was born in 1965 in Youzhong County in Liaoning province, an industrial area in China's northeast.

State television scrapped plans for a live broadcast of the launch. A Hong Kong newspaper said the cancellation was prompted by fears of the "political risks" of something going wrong.

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