China to launch Shenzhou-7 spacecraft on Thursday

China will launch its third manned spacecraft Shenzhou-7 from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu province in the northwest on Thursday, a spokesperson with China's manned space program said on Wednesday. The spacecraft, carrying taikonauts Zhai Zhigang, Liu Boming and Jing Haipeng, was to blast off between 9:07 p.m. to 10:27 p.m.(Beijing Time), said Wang Zhaoyao. One of the major tasks of the mission would be extravehicular activity (EVA), or known as space walk, the first of its kind attempted by Chinese astronauts, Wang said. More

(Source: Xinhuanet - Sep 25)