China's first manned spacecraft Shenzhou V completed orbit shift at 15:57 Wednesday (Beijing time), according to a report by astronaut Yang Liwei and the ground monitoring result.

The Shenzhou V, which blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at 9 a.m. Wednesday, entered an elliptic orbit with a perigee of 200 kilometers and an apogee of 343 kilometers.

During the orbit shift, the spaceship was propelled into a circular orbit of 343 kilometers from the Earth, the Beijing Aerospace Command and Control Center announced, adding that this step is essential for the spaceship's on-track flight and accurate landing.

The Shenzhou V, with Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) lieutenant colonel Yang Liwei on board, entered its preset orbit about 10 minutes after the launch, making China the third nation to send a man into outer space following the former Soviet Union and the United States.

(Xinhua News Agency October 15, 2003)