In October 2003, China became only the third country to send a manned spacecraft into orbit.

Shenzhou V was launched from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in Gansu Province, northwest China, with a single astronaut, Yang Liwei, on board. He orbited the Earth 14 times in just over 21 hours, before landing safely in North China, where he was proclaimed a ‘Space Hero’.

Following the success of this mission, China is planning another manned space flight in early 2005. This time there will be two astronauts on board and the mission, Shenzhou VI, is planned to last five days.

The China National Space Administration has also said that it plans to send an unmanned mission to the Moon in 2007.

Until recently, China was shunned by the rest of the world’s space agencies, but in November 2004, a Chinese delegate took part for the first time in a NASA-sponsored workshop on space initiatives.