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Satellite ends mission after 100 days in space

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-01-05 11:41

BEIJING – A miniaturized satellite circling Shenzhou-VII's orbital module had accomplished its pre-set mission after 100 days in space, the Beijing Aerospace Control Center (BACC) said on Sunday.

Astronauts of the Shenzhou-VII space mission sing a song during a visit to Hong Kong, December 7, 2008. The satellite of Shenzhou-VII's orbital module had accomplished its mission after 100 days in space, the Beijing Aerospace Control Center said on Sunday. [Xinhua]

This achievement marked China's "preliminary mastery of satellite monitor technology," the center said. With some fuel left, the satellite will continue its flight for more scientific experiments.

Related coverage:  Shenzhou-VII Space Mission

The satellite, which was released one day after China's third manned spacecraft blasted off on September 25, 2008, had been adjusted 13 times through engine ignitions so that it could focus on the orbital module of Shenzhou-VII.

The center said the satellite had been tracking the orbital module in an elliptical circle, with the farthest distance of 7.6 kilometers and the nearest of 3.8 kilometers.

The satellite had sent back thousands of high-quality pictures, which were captured by its two cameras.

According to the center, the three Taikonauts aboard Shenzhou-VII -- Zhai Zhigang, Liu Boming and Jing Haipeng -- had ended their tours across the country, and they would continue their regular training course to prepare for the establishment of China's first space station.

The extravehicular activity (EVA) carried out during the flight makes China the third country to have conducted an EVA, after the Soviet Union and the United States.