China plans to launch its second manned space flight, a five-day mission with two astronauts aboard, in September next year.

Fighter pilot Yang Liwei, who became China's first man in space in October 2003 when he circled the earth 14 times aboard the Shenzhou V spacecraft, was among a pool of 14 astronauts in training for the new mission, to be called Shenzhou VI.

The China News Service reports that the astronauts would perform experiments aboard the next flight, but it did not give specifics.

China is only the third country after the United States and Russia to launch people into space. A third flight, Shenzhou VII, aims to have an astronaut perform a spacewalk. China also wants to build a space lab and a space station and eventually send astronauts to the moon.

A 'Long March' rocket carrying the manned 'Shenzhou V' spacecraft is launched from the Jiuquan launch center. China will launch its lunar orbiter Chang'e 1 to explore the moon's environment and study the thickness of its soil by the end of 2007.

(Photo Source: Xinhua)

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