The Shenzhou 8 ship successfully connected with Thien Cung

The Shenzhou unmanned spacecraft 8 yesterday connected successfully with Thien Cung 1 space lab. This is China's first cosmic process.

>>> China successfully launched the Shenzhou ship 8

Shenzhou 8, launched earlier this week, contacted Thien Cung 1 at 17h29 GMT yesterday, or last night in Vietnam time. The connection takes place in the sky of China.

Joining 2 space vehicles is a necessary condition for China if it wants to start building its own space station at the end of this decade.

Although there are no astronauts on the Shenzhou spacecraft this time, future missions will send people to space.

Yesterday's connection took place at an altitude of about 340km. The process takes place automatically but is monitored from the ground at the Beijing Space Flight Control Center.

Shenzhou 8 and Thien Cung 1 used radar and optical sensors to calculate the distance between two vehicles and approached and contacted each other. A video from orbit showed the final moments when the two vehicles came close.

Shenzhou 8 and Thien Cung 1 will take 2 weeks to fly around the globe together before Shenzhou 8 returns to earth.

'After the general flight lasts about 12 days, they will split,' said Professor Yang Yuguang from the China Aerospace, Science and Aerospace Industry Group.

If the current flight of the Shenzhou 8 ship follows the planned schedule, two manned missions (Shenzhou 9 and 10) are likely to make similar connections in 2012.

China plans to build its own manned space station in 2020.