China's premiere at space station launch

BEIJING, Sept. 30 (UPI) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao met with representatives of the staff working on the country's first space lab module that was launched Thursday, officials said.

Wen was at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center to watch the liftoff of the Tiangong-1 or "Heavenly Palace-1" unmanned module, China's official news agency Xinhua reported.

Shaking hands with launch center staff, Wen said the launch of the module is a critical step for developing space-docking technology and a milestone in China's manned space program.

Tiangong-1, now in orbit, is to dock with an unmanned Shenzhou-8 spacecraft to be launched later this year.

At the center in northwest China's Gansu province, Wen also met with representatives from other scientific institutions involved in research and testing of the module.

"Your efforts and contributions will be remembered," he said.