China, Dec 30: China has blasted its fourth unmanned aircraft into space in what is likely a final test before sending its first astronaut into orbit around earth. The countdown is on -- not just to launch China's Shenzou spacecraft, but to put a Chinese astronaut into space. It's the fourth Shenzou -- or "divine ship" -- the country has sent into the cosmos. And possibly the last one to be unmanned. Senior politicians were on hand for the successful launch and offered congratulations to those in Beijing's Aerospace Command and Control. The country started its manned flight programme 10 years ago, and astronauts used the Shenzhou IV to train for missions for the first time. Like its predecessors, the Shenzou IV will circle the Earth about once every 90 minutes before returning in a few days. Following two decades of market-oriented reforms aimed at pulling the country out of poverty and securing a more prominent position on the world stage, China's space programme is a test of national pride.


It wants to be the third nation to put people in space -- following Russia and the United States who accomplished the feat 30 years ago.


Joining American astronauts and Russian cosmonauts, Chinese spacemen have been dubbed "taikonauts", taken from the Chinese word for space "taikong".

Bureau Report