On Oct. 1 China News Service quoted Wang Liheng, General Manager of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) as saying that "Chinese manned spaceflight technology has achieved significant breakthroughs. After several more unmanned test flights, China will eventually realize the long cherished wish of sending its yuhangyuans ("astronauts") into space."

Wang made the comment to a group of more than 20 visiting senior executives from the Hong Kong news media. The contingent toured the CASC facility here on Sept. 30, the day before the 52nd anniversary of the National Day.

However, Wang did not say when the next unmanned test flight of Shenzhou ("Divine Vessel" or "Magic Vessel"), SZ-3, would take place.

The first two unmanned missions of Shenzhou primarily tested key technologies related to the Changzheng-2F (Long March-2F) launcher and various subsystems on Shenzhou, particularly the environment control and life protection subsystems, as well as many operational tasks.

Science and Technology Daily reported last week that the area of flight control technology had gained important advancement. The Beijing Aerospace Command and Control Centre (BACCC), which is the primary mission control centre, has made key technological breakthroughs such as transparency in flight control, high precision orbit determination, flight planning automation, reentry and landing control forecasting, and visualization of monitoring displays.

Building on past experience, BACCC strengthens its capability of processing realtime orbital data and correcting errors in spacecraft orbital positions to a world advanced level. For example, the centre can receive, process and query large quantity of realtime data. This allows rapid and more accurate flight controlling, and for the first time in special incident analysis and software-based flight planning automation and control.

There is also significant improvement in displaying realtime data. The five-year old BACCC implemented the first multilayer, multimedia monitoring display system in the nation. Integrating technologies of flight control, virtual reality and multimedia, the centre utilizes a 3-D animation display system driven by realtime flight control data, a geographic information system (GIS), and a visual simulation system.

In the crucial area of reentry control, mission controllers refines control and forecasting techniques of lifting reentry that rivals international levels.

For the next unmanned test mission SZ-3, although there has been no official words on prelaunch preparation, the Chinese Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT) indicated on Oct. 12 that the CZ-2F launcher for SZ-3 received flight certification in Beijing.

The rocket would soon make its westward trip by train to the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre (JSLC), China's manned spaceflight centre, in the northwestern Gansu Province. This will be the third flight of CZ-2F.

Meanwhile the African newspaper The Namibian reported last Wednesday (Oct. 31) the completion of a Chinese tracking, telemetry and command (TT&C) station just outside of Swakopmund, which is a coastal town in central Namibia, earlier in July. The station will play a critical role in the safe return of all Chinese retrievable spacecraft, including Shenzhou.

Not only will the station track and command Shenzhou, it will also receive in-cabin image transmission from the orbiting spacecraft.

Chief of the TT&C station Zhang Jiefu explains that all Shenzhou missions end with a reentry over Namibia to head towards the landing site in Inner Mongolia.

"In order to control the spaceship precisely and its reentry and landing on Earth, China had to build the station just north of Swakopmund," said Zhang. In October last year the Chinese and Namibian governments signed the construction agreement in Beijing. Windhoek Consulting Engineers in Windhoek, Namibia, is the contractor to build the station.

The TT&C station is China's first such station in Africa and costs $12 million Namibian ($1.3 million US) to build. Two parabolic tracking antennae, 5 and 9 meters in diameters respectively, are the most visible equipment. The Xi'an Satellite Control Centre (XSCC) in the central Chinese province of Shaanxi is responsible for the administration of the station.

Zhang told the newspaper that the brand new tracking station would be expected to handle its first mission early next year.

According to Zhang about 20 technicians from XSCC will be on duty at the station during each Shenzhou mission. At other times about five staff stay permanently to maintain equipment.

Zhang also said that China would notify Namibia two months in advance of each Shenzhou launch so that Chinese technicians could start prelaunch preparation at the tracking station.

Zhang's comment hints at the SZ-3 launch some time early in 2002 instead of this year.

In addition to the tracking equipment section at the compound, there is also an administration building, kitchen and dining complex, garage and generator room and a dormitory complex. The entire station is enclosed by 2-meter high walls.

China only schedules Shenzhou missions during autumn and winter months, at least in the foreseeable future. The constraint arises from the complex nature of tracking the mission around the globe. China tracks the Shenzhou spacecraft from both domestic and foreign tracking stations as well as the fleet of Yuanwang (YW, Yuanwang means "Long View") tracking ships at sea.

Sea surface conditions in the southern hemisphere are usually calmer in the spring and summer months, which correspond to autumn and winter months in the northern hemisphere. Conditions at sea deteriorate to very poor during the autumn and winter months in the southern hemisphere. Not only is tracking operations from the Yuanwang ships very difficult if not impossible at this time, the safety of the crews and ships also cannot be guaranteed.

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