China's space programme

2003-10-15 07:25

Major events in the history of the space programme of the People's Republic of China:

September 1955: Chinese-born Tsien Hsue-sen, an American-trained rocketry expert and co-founder of Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, leaves the United States for China. His departure comes after five years of virtual house arrest following accusations of communist sympathies. He becomes the leader of China's rocketry programme.

1956-58: Soviet Union provides intermediate-range ballistic missile to China for study.

1960: China launches its first rocket despite a cut-off of Soviet aid amid a political falling-out.

1968: Research centre established to prepare for manned space flight, with 1973 target date for launch. Programme later cancelled due to lack of money and political support.

1970: China becomes the fifth country to launch a satellite into space, sending up the Dongfanghong-1 - the name means "The East is Red" - aboard a Long March rocket.

1991: Tsien retires.

1992: Manned programme launched under codename Project 921, with target launch date of October 1999. Qi Faren, trained in Russia, named chief spacecraft designer.

1995: Russia agrees to assist China with manned spaceflight technology and training of Chinese astronauts in cosmonaut academy near Moscow.

November 20, 1999: Successful test flight of the unmanned capsule Shenzhou 1, or "Divine Vessel." Three further unmanned test flights follow, the most recent one earlier this year accompanied by promised of manned space travel by the end of 2003.

October 15, 2003: Shenzhou 5 launches into orbit with astronaut Yang Liwei aboard, making China the third nation capable of putting a human in space on its own, after the former Soviet Union and the United States.

- AP