中國發射“天宮一號”，瞄準空間站

China has launched an unmanned spacecraft, in what is described as Beijing's first step toward building its own space 8.5 ton module -- known as Tiangong-1, or "Heavenly Palace" -- lifted off from a site in China's northwestern Gobi desert late Thursday night local time. The craft was propelled by a Long March 2F rocket. Detailed reports about the launch were splashed across Chinese newspapers and the development was hailed by state-run broadcasters.

Another unmanned spacecraft to be launched November 1 will meet up with the module for China's first space-docking a plans several more rendezvous-and-docking procedures before the end of next year -- at least one of which will be manned. The program calls for construction of a space laboratory by 2016 and completion of a 60-ton space station around a conducted its first manned space flight in 2003, more than four decades after pioneering flights by the United States and Soviet Union. The latest efforts come at a time when the retirement of the U.S. space shuttle fleet has left the future of the American space program in question.中國發射了一架無人飛船，這被稱爲北京建造自己空間站的第一步。這個叫做“天宮一號”、重8.5噸的飛行器在當地時間星期四晚間從中國西北部的戈壁沙漠上一個地點發射。這架飛船由長征2F火箭推動升空。中國各地的報紙刊登了有關這次發射的詳細報道，國營電視臺對這次發射成功表示喝彩。

將在11月1日發射的另一艘無人飛船“神舟八號”將與“天宮一號”對接。這將是中國第一次在太空中的對接。中國計劃在明年年底前再進行幾次太空對接作業，其中至少有一次是載人對接。這個目將要求在2016年底前建設一個空間實驗室，在2020年左右完成建造一個重60噸的空間站。中國在2003年首次實現載人宇宙飛船升空，這距離美國和前蘇聯的創舉有40多年之久。在中國進行最新努力之際，美國航天飛機艦隊的退役爲美國太空項目的未來劃上問號。