As the fifth country to develop and launch an independent
man-made satellite and the third to master satellite recovery
technology, China is in the world's front ranks in many important
technological fields, including satellite recovery, carrying of
multiple satellites on one rocket, rocket technology, and the
launch, test and control of static-orbit satellites. Great
achievements have been made in remote-sensing satellites,
communications satellites, and in manned space experiments.
 |
Manned spacecraft. On October 15, 2003, the first manned
spacecraft "Shenzhou V," developed independently by China, was
successfully launched at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center,
following the four unmanned launches between November 1999 and
December 2002. "Shenzhou V" sent China's first astronaut into space
and returned safely, making China the world's third country to
independently develop and deploy manned space flight technology. On
October 12, 2005, the "Shenzhou VI" spacecraft was successfully
launched, marking an important new milestone in China's manned
space flight. "Shenzhou VI" carried two men on a five-day flight
compared with "Shenzhou V's" one-man, one-day voyage. "Shenzhou VI"
made breakthroughs in many basic astronautic technologies and it
was the first time that scientific experiments were carried out in
space with astronaut participation. The next goals of China's
manned space project include astronaut extra-vehicular activities
and spacewalks. Between 2009 and 2012, China will achieve in-orbit
rendezvous-docking of targeting flight vehicles.??
Man-made earth satellites. From the launch of its first man-made
earth satellite "Dongfanghong No.1" in April 1970 to the end of
2000, China successfully launched 75 satellites, including 48
developed by China itself and 27 commercial satellites for foreign
customers. Fifteen types of satellites have been launched in the
10th Five-Year Plan period (2001-2005), including communications,
navigation, meteorological, resource remote-sensing, and space
survey satellites, representing about half of all satellites
launched in the past 30 years.?
Carrier rockets. China has developed 12 models of the "Long
March" carrier rockets series, and is able to launch low earth
orbit, geostationary orbit, and sun-synchronous orbit satellites
and spaceships. The successful launch rate is over 90 percent. By
the end of 2005, "Long March" carrier rockets had made 88 launches;
since October 1996, they have had 46 successful launches on the
run. China's exclusively home-developed Jiuquan, Xichang and
Taiyuan satellite-launch centers are internationally recognized
today.