The world is closely following China's third manned space mission.

The press in many countries has given positive coverage of the event.

The world is closely following China's third manned space mission. (CCTV.com)

Russian journalists are on assignment at the Jiuquan satellite launch site.

News about the successful launch made headlines on Russian websites shortly after the spacecraft blasted off and the event is also receiving widespread coverage in Russia's mainstream media.

Part of the launch process was broadcast live on the Russian News Channel.

It gave background information on the spacecraft as well as the three astronauts on board. And the network said the launch marked a significant step in China's aviation development.

Russian media showed great interest in the astronauts' menu. ITAR-TASS, the official Russian news agency, detailed the astronauts' 80 choices of food, as well as traditional Chinese medicine to treat space motion sickness.

The blast-off was also covered in Canada. Many Canadians see the space mission as China's technological triumph, crowning the success of the Beijing Olympics.

And over in India, many people witnessed the whole launch process on the Indian News Channel, "Times Now", which said that China's third manned spacecraft launch in five years demonstrates the power of the country's space program.

(CCTV.com September 28, 2008)