Countdown to the launch of a Long March rocket from northwest China on Tuesday. The rocket lifted the unmanned Shenzhou 8 spacecraft into an initial orbit 200 kilometres above Earth. Within two days the spacecraft will join the Tiangong 1 module around 340 kilometres above Earth for a docking exercise. The rendezvous and docking exercises are important steps in China's efforts to run a full space lab. Officials in the Aerospace Control Centre applaud as the craft's solar panels unfurl. (SOUNDBITE) (Chinese) CHANG WANQUAN, DIRECTOR OF THE PLA GENERAL ARMAMENTS DEPARTMENT: "According to the report by the Beijing Aerospace Control Center, Shenzhou 8 has entered the designated orbit. I now declare the launch of Shenzhou-8 spacecraft a complete success." While the United States and Russia are scaling back their space programmes, China plans to launch two similar docking exercises next year - at least one of which will be manned - and aims to have a fully fledged space station by around 2020. Nick Rowlands, Reuters.
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