China plans to launch 2 into space next flight

BEIJING — With its first space explorer home safe and taking his victory lap, China unveiled plans Wednesday to give its second and third "taikonauts" their turns in orbit.

The government, its confidence in space travel soaring, said it would probably send two more astronauts into orbit within the next two years on the country's second manned mission. It was the latest announcement in recent days from a space program that appears to be kicking into high gear.

"The scientists are busily involved in research to create an environment within the spaceship to accommodate more than one astronaut," Wang Yongzhi, chief engineer of China's manned space program, was paraphrased as saying by Xinhuanet, the government news agency's Web site.

The announcement was the most detailed information yet on China's plans for its next space launch aboard a ship called Shenzhou 6. The craft will be capable of flying for up to seven days. Wang said the next mission would probably be "at least 24 hours."

The government did not identify the taikonauts — a term coined from "taikong," the Chinese word for space — who would travel on the second mission.

However, pioneer astronaut Yang Liwei's two alternates, Zhai Zhigang and Nie Haisheng, may be considered favorites. They have been included in many of the celebrations for Yang in recent days.

Wang's comments, made Tuesday as space officials traveled to Hong Kong and Macau, came three weeks after Yang became China's first man in space. Yang rode Shenzhou 5 into orbit on Oct. 15 and returned after 21 1/2 hours.

Chinese aerospace officials said on Tuesday in Hong Kong that they planned to launch a space station within 10 years.

And on Monday, China sent up an experimental satellite from the same pad used to launch Shenzhou 5. Officials said the satellite would be used mostly for scientific research and mapping. The recoverable satellite will orbit for 18 days and is "technically much more advanced than the previous ones," the government said.

The spate of fresh activities, plans and details — released as Yang and other space officials make a patriotism-drenched tour of Hong Kong and Macau — suggest China's confidence in its space program has solidified.

The military-linked manned space program has been extremely secretive for years.