(IMG:http://www.spaceflightnews.net/special/shenzhou/7/images/index.jpg) China's third manned spaceflight rocketed into space Thursday carrying three astronauts on a four-day mission that will highlight the first spacewalk from a Chinese manned vehicle. The Shenzhou 7 spacecraft blasted into orbit from China's Jiuquan launch center at 9:10 p.m. local time (9:10 a.m. EDT) on top of the powerful Long March 2F rocket.(Image right: The Long-March II-F carrier rocket carrying the Shenzhou-7 spaceship blasts off from the launch pad at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China's Gansu Province, on 21:10 p.m., Sept. 25, 2008. Credit: Xinhua/Li Gang)
VIDEO: WATCH THE LAUNCH OF SHENZHOU 7In a sign of the Chinese government's growing openness to the outside world, today's launch was broadcast live on state television. Video inside the capsule showed Zhai Zhigang, Liu Boming and Jing Haipeng performing various prelaunch checks and occasionally waving to the camera. As the rocket raced skyward into the nighttime sky and arced eastward on a course that took it out over the south Pacific Ocean, a camera mounted on the vehicle broadcast the view to ground controllers and viewers around the world.Two and a half minutes after launch, the four liquid propellant strapon boosters exhausted their fuel supply and were jettisoned to fall into the ocean as the core first stage continued to burn. Thirty seconds later, the first stage burnt out and separated, along with the protective aerodynamic shroud covering the Shenzhou 7 spacecraft.Three minutes after launch, the first stage burned out and the Long March's second stage engine took over to complete ascent to orbit. Seven minutes later, the second stage, having completed its task, deployed Shenzhou 7 into its preliminary elliptical orbit.Early telemetry indicated the spacecraft entered orbit with an apogee 215 miles above the Earth and a low point 124 miles high. About six hours, forty minutes later, the craft used its own maneuvering engines to circularize its orbit, much the same was as the space shuttle uses its Orbital Maneuvering System engines to circularize its orbit after launch.Following the engine firing, Shenzou 7 settled into an orbit at an altitude of 213 miles and inclination of 43 degrees to the Equator. The primary objective of the mission is to conduct the first spacewalk from a Shenzhou spacecraft. Development of this capability is a necessary step in China's plans to build its own space station, according to the Chinese Manned Space Engineering office.The spacewalk will be brief, lasting just 15-20 minutes outside the confines of the space capsule. Still, it will validate the operation of the Chinese-designed Feitian EVA suit on its first trip to space.Early Saturday morning (Friday afternoon in China), two astronauts will make their way to the Shenzhou orbital module. One will don a Russian-supplied Orlon spacesuit while the other will climb into the Feitian suit. The third astronaut will stay behind in the descent module to monitor the astronauts and spacecraft during the EVA.The orbital module will double as an airlock for the spacewalk. After pre-breathing pure oxygen for 30 minutes, the hatch on the module will be opened and the astronaut wearing the Feitian suit will step out into the black void of space.With assistance from the other suit-wearing astronaut, the spacewalker will retrieve samples of a solid lubricant experiment mounted on the exterior of the spacecraft before heading back inside.Also on the manifest for the mission is the deployment of a small satellite that will fly in the vicinity of Sshenzhou as a "companion" satellite. The astronauts will also test communications with a new tracking satellite flying in geostationary orbit.Shenzhou 7 is expected to re-enter and land in the steppes of inner Mongolia in northwestern China sometime on Sunday. Chinese state media has said they will provide ongoing and live coverage of the spacewalk and mission through landing.(The Spacearium / SpaceflightNews.net)LAUNCH PHOTOS(IMG:http://www.spaceflightnews.net/special/shenzhou/7/images/xin_0620905252120625224118.jpg)
The Long-March II-F carrier rocket carrying the Shenzhou-7 spaceship blasts off from the launch pad at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China's Gansu Province, on 21:10 p.m., Sept. 25, 2008. (Xinhua/Li Gang) (IMG:http://www.spaceflightnews.net/special/shenzhou/7/images/xin_0620905252120750195329.jpg)
The Long-March II-F carrier rocket carrying the Shenzhou-7 spaceship blasts off from the launch pad at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China's Gansu Province, on 21:10 p.m., Sept. 25, 2008. (Xinhua/Li Gang)(IMG:http://www.spaceflightnews.net/special/shenzhou/7/images/xin_0920905252123515978012.jpg)
The Long-March II-F carrier rocket carrying the Shenzhou-7 spaceship blasts off from the launch pad at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China's Gansu Province, on 21:10 p.m., Sept. 25, 2008. (Xinhua/Li Gang)(IMG:http://www.spaceflightnews.net/special/shenzhou/7/images/xin_4120905252149078767818.jpg)
The Long-March II-F carrier rocket carrying the Shenzhou-7 spaceship blasts off from the launch pad at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China's Gansu Province, 21:10 p.m. (1310 GMT), Sept. 25, 2008. (Xinhua/Li Gang)(IMG:http://www.spaceflightnews.net/special/shenzhou/7/images/xin_06209052521208901289410.jpg)
The Long-March II-F carrier rocket carrying the Shenzhou-7 spaceship blasts off from the launch pad at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China's Gansu Province, 21:10 p.m. (1310 GMT), Sept. 25, 2008. China launched Shenzhou-7, its third manned spacecraft, with three astronauts on board Thursday to attempt the country's first-ever space walk. (Xinhua/Li Gang)