China says experimental spaceship operating normally

A Chinese ship is working rmally in orbit, with its solar panels in position and a communication link established, government said Thursday.

craft was launched aboard a new heavy-lift carrier rocket, Long March 5B, from Hainan island Tuesday.

It's on an experimental mission without any crew, but capsule is reportedly an improvement on Shenzhou capsule based on former Soviet Union’s Soyuz model and can carry six astronauts inste of three.

craft is flying stably in a “highly elliptical orbit, with power supply, measurements and control links rmal,” official China Aero Science and Techlogy Corporation said, according to official Xinhua News ncy.

information was released about what went wrong with a ”flexible and inflatable cargo return capsule” that was being tested as part of mission. China Manned ncy has said only that it operated abrmally during reentry on Wednesday and data is being analyzed.

craft plans to orbit Earth three times before re-entering atmosphere and landing at Dongfeng site in rth China’s Inner Mongolia Automous Region on Friday, Ji Qiming, an assistant to ncy's director, was quoted as saying by Xinhua.

China is working on a permanent orbiting station after being excluded from International Station, largely because of U.S. objections.

China launched an experimental station previously and plans four crewed and four cargo missions to finish a permanent station within about two years.

China’s burgeoning program achieved a milestone by landing a craft on largely unexplored far side of moon last year and plans to send a lander and rover to Mars.

program has developed rapidly, especially since its first crewed mission in 2003, and has sought cooperation with ncies in Europe and elsewhere.