The Chinese communications relay satellite "Tianlian I" aboard a Long March-3C carrier rocket was successfully launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in southwest China's Sichuan Province at 11:35 p.m. (Beijing Time), 25th April, 2008. The satellite, developed by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, will be used to support the upcoming Shenzhou VII mission.
"The Yuanwang space tracking ships along with China's over ten ground observation stations can only cover 12 percent of Shenzhou VII spaceship's orbit in the space" - Zhang Jianqi, senior mission official.
...the satellite would not begin functioning until the Shenzhou 7 mission _ scheduled for the second half of 2008 _ when Chinese astronauts were to leave their spacecraft for the first time. Read more