China building new facility for making rockets, satellites
Beijing, April. 18 (PTI): China has started construction of a new state-of-the-art space facility to build rockets, satellites and spaceships in Shanghai.
The base will also house a new space museum, which will open to the public in 2007.
The Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST), which supplies parts for China's manned spacecraft, is constructing the building to house research and manufacturing units in the city, 'China Daily' reported.
The 198-acre base will integrate research, experiment, manufacturing and logistics functions. It will be completed in two phases, the first due in 2007 and the second in 2010, the report quoted an unnamed SAST official as saying.
All astronautics research institutions and factories in Shanghai will be moved to the new base, he said.
The new base will also take on some China-foreign co-operative aerospace projects assigned by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, the official said.
SAST successfully made the propellant and communication systems of Shenzhou V, China's first manned spacecraft, which was launched in 2003.
One top job of SAST this year was to supply the propellant module, power supply and communication systems for China's next manned spacecraft, Shenzhou VI. These elements have already been finished and sent to Beijing for assembly.
SAST is also supplying parts for the 'Long March 2D' rocket which will lift off for the second time this year to complete satellite launch tasks, the report said.
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