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In 2003 China launched it’s first manned space flight sending Yang Yewi into orbit for nearly a full day. The Chinese-built spacecraft is loosly based on the Russian Soyuz but it slightly larger and operates differently. Like the Soyuz, the crew launches and lands in the center “reentry” section, supported by a Service Module aft which is powered by solar arrays. The forward section is different from the Soyuz design as it is larger and has it’s own steering and separate power from a second set of solar arrays. This allows the “Orbital” module to remain in orbit after the crew departs. It will serve on future flights as the living area for the crew, contains an EVA hatch and can be fitted with a docking collar. For Shenzhou V the module was outfitted with observation optics and was not occupied by the crew. It remained in orbit for some time after the end of the manned mission.
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