China Sets Up Management Body for Orbiting Space Lab

China has established an operations committee for the management of the country's first space lab module, Tiangong-1, for its two-year orbit of earth. The committee deals with operations planning, technical appraisals and flight control of the target orbiter and began work after the unmanned Shenzhou-8 spacecraft returned to earth. A spokesperson from China's manned space program said earlier that Tiangong-1 would accommodate a further two docking missions undertaken by two Shenzhou spacecraft, at least one of which will be manned. The 8.5-tonne Tiangong-1 is the first space lab module built by China, and the committee's chief responsibility is to ensure the smooth running of this asset. The establishment of an operations committee for Tiangong-1 heralds a new phase of lengthy flight missions for China's manned space program, said Niu Hongguang, director of the operations committee. Management of the orbiting module will include maintenance of the space lab, ensuring proper preparations for further docking tests and gathering experience and expertise for building a future space station, Niu said.