China expects to launch an unmanned spaceship by the end of this year, the fourth in a series that could lead to its first manned space voyage, senior space officials said Tuesday.

"We have intensified development of the Shenzhou IV (Divine Vessel IV) and its carrier rocket, which we plan to launch sometime in the remaining months of this year," said Zhang Qingwei, president of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp (CASC).

But another source close to China's space program said the mission may not happen until early next year.

The source declined to explain or to be identified.

But he added that if the test flight of the fourth Shenzhou spacecraft is successful, the manned space mission would be just around the corner.

CASC's Zhang said that on the precondition of amply ensuring the safety of its astronauts, China will stage its manned space flights to realize a long-cherished dream of the nation.

Zhang did not give a timetable at a closed-door meeting of CASC Tuesday in Beijing. But he did say that CASC -- a leading participant in China's space program -- is heading for breakthroughs in technologies related to spaceship docking, space labs and deep-space exploration.

China successfully launched the unmanned Shenzhou III vessel atop a CASC Long March 2F rocket in March. The spacecraft returned after seven days and having circled the earth 108 times.

The three consecutive successes of the Shenzhou series since 1999 have sparked widespread speculation that China, vowing to become the third nation in the world to put a human in space, will stage manned flights soon.

Earlier Chinese newspaper reports have said this could be as early as 2005.

Listing CASC's ambitions before 2005, Zhang said the space group will expedite development of a new family of powerful launch vehicles, powered by non-toxic, non-polluting liquid hydrogen, liquid oxygen and refined kerosene.

The rockets will enable China to launch all kinds of satellites likely to be developed in the world in the coming 30 years.

With the new types of rockets, the country expects to make headway in providing commercial satellite launch services, particularly to explore new markets in the Asia-Pacific region and in Europe, Zhang said.

Development of such rockets can be completed in a short time, thanks to thorough preparations and technology reserves, the executive said.

Also in the pipeline is a new generation of a communications and broadcasting satellite platform -- the chassis or framework that carries a satellite's equipment payload -- featuring a long life and large capacity, he said.

The new satellite platform, coded as Dongfanghong-IV, will reach the level of the advanced foreign systems currently in use, he said.

Although China has launched scores of foreign and Chinese-made satellites, the country has not sold a single made-in-China satellite to a foreign country.

"Through improving the reliability and capacity of the platform, we are hoping to clinch more deals for the manufacture of satellites for customers at home and abroad," said Wang Haibo, another CASC official.

CASC has negotiated with some "potential satellite customers" in the Asia-Pacific region, but Wang declined to specify who they were.

The new platform will first be used to develop a satellite, the Sinosat-II, for Beijing-based operator Sino Satellite Communications Co, Cheng Guangren, the company's president, confirmed Tuesday.

(China Daily August 14, 2002)