This Day, That Year
On Nov 20, 1999, China’s first unmanned test flight of the spacecraft, Shenzhou I, was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu province, as seen in the item from China Daily.
After completing a 12-hour flight and carrying out all the planned scientific experiments, the spaceship landed successfully in the central Inner Mongolia autonomous region.
Since the maiden voyage of Shenzhou, China has been gearing up efforts to realize its three-step manned space program.
Eleven missions, involving five unmanned flights and six manned ones, have been conducted.
The first step, to send a man into space and return safely, was fulfilled by Yang Liwei. In October 2003, China carried out its first manned space mission, sending Yang on a 21-hour series of Earth orbits in Shenzhou V.
The second step was to develop advanced space flight techniques and technologies including extravehicular activity and orbital docking. In September 2011, China launched its first space lab, Tiangong I. The country experimented with space rendezvous and docking technology, considered crucial for the assembly of space stations.
The final step will be to assemble and operate a permanent manned space station. The Tiangong II space lab blasted off in 2016, which bodes well for the final phase of the space program.
Construction of the station is planned for completion by 2020. It will enter service around 2022, with an initial designed life of at least 10 years.
Besides the space station, China has also unveiled its Mars mission, which will be launched next year and will land an unmanned probe on the Martian surface before July 2021.
According to the China National Space Administration, the country’s first Martian probe will conduct scientific investigations on the planet’s soil, geological structure, environment, atmosphere as well as searching for signs of water.
In the mission’s second step, a larger probe will set off for Mars around 2030 to take samples and then return to Earth.
The long-term goal is to send humans to Mars.