James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies
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Research Story of the Week

October 15, 2003

1992
04/1992: China's current manned space program, named Project 921, was established. The first part of the project, called 921-1, was dedicated to launching a manned space capsule. The second stage, 921-2, called for a manned space station, while a third stage, 921-3, aimed at developing a modern space-earth transportation system by 2020. [Mark Wade, "China: The Amazing History of Rocket and Space Development in China," Encyclopedia Astronautica, <http://astronautix.com/articles/china/htm>.]

1995
03/1995: Chinese space officials signed a deal with Missile Space Corporation Energia (RKK Energia, in Russian), Russia's chief space station contractor, to provide training for Chinese yuhangyuans (astronauts), as well as technical information about the Soyuz spacecraft's capsule, life support systems, docking systems, and space suits. [Mark Wade, "China: The Amazing History of Rocket and Space Development in China," Encyclopedia Astronautica, <http://astronautix.com/articles/china/htm>.]

1996
11/1996: Two Chinese pilots, Wu Jie and Li Jinlong, began training at Russia's Star City Training Center for cosmonauts near Moscow. The training lasted one year; Wu and Li went on to help with the training of additional Chinese yuhangyuan (astronauts). ["Russia Helps China Prepare for First Manned Space Mission" AFP (Hong Kong), 12 October 2003, in FBIS: CPP20031012000010.]

1998
10/03/1998: After the 50th successful launch of a Long March rocket (carrying two iridium satellites owned by Motorola), Liu Jiyuan, president of China Aerospace Corporation (CASC), remarked that China will "keep on improving the carrying capacity and reliability of the Long March series rockets, focus on developing communications satellites, meteorological satellites and resource satellites and execute our manned space program." ["China's Long March Into Space Gains Pace," Xinhua Wire Service, 3 October 1998.]

1999
11/20/1999: China launched its first experimental spacecraft "Shenzhou" (Divine Vessel) from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu Province. The Shenzhou vehicle was boosted into orbit by a Long March 2-F (LM-2F) version of its LM-2 series of commercial boosters. It landed after a mission time of 21 hours. This was the first time that Chinese engineers had assembled and tested the rocket in an upright position and also, the first significant test of the new land- and sea-based network of control and monitoring stations. ["Backgrounder on China's Four Unmanned Space Flights," Xinhua Wire Service, 11 October 2003 in FBIS CPP20031011000079.]

2000
11/21/2000: The White Paper on China's Space Activities states that:
"Initiating its manned spaceflight program in 1992, China has developed a manned spacecraft and high-reliability launching vehicle, carried out engineering studies in aerospace medicine and aerospace life science, selected reserve astronauts and developed equipment for aerospace remote-sensing and aerospace scientific experiments. China's first unmanned experimental spacecraft - Shenzhou - was successfully launched and recovered November 20-21, 1999, symbolizing a breakthrough in the basic technologies of manned spacecraft and a significant step forward in the field of manned spaceflight." [White Paper on China's Space Activities, 21 November 2000, <http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/features/spacepaper/spacepaper1.html>.]

2001
01/10/2001: China's Shenzhou-2 (SZ-2) unmanned spaceship was launched from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The SZ-2 vehicle and its Long March 2-F booster are virtually identical to the Shenzhou-1 launch that occurred in November 1999. During the flight experiments were conducted in various fields, including life science, space material, astronomy and physics. The SZ-2 module orbited the Earth 108 times during its seven-day flight. ["Backgrounder on China's Four Unmanned Space Flights," Xinhua Wire Service, 11 October 2003 in FBIS CPP20031011000079.]

2002
03/26/2002: China launched the Shenzhou-3 space vehicle as President Jiang Zemin watched. The SZ-3 was carried aloft by a Long March 2-F variant of the Long March 2 commercial booster. The booster lifted off from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center at approximately 10:30 in the evening and achieved orbit approximately 10 minutes later. ["Beijing Launches its Third Spacecraft," New York Times, 26 March 2002.]

04/01/2002: The returning module of China's Shenzhou-3 space vehicle touched down in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region after orbiting the earth 108 times. The spaceship carried a set of metabolic simulation apparatus, human physical monitoring sensors and dummy astronauts. According to President Jiang Zemin, "the successful launches of three Shenzhou spaceships takes [sic] the country to new heights of space science and technology." ["China spacecraft returns to Earth," CNN, 1 April 2002.]

04/02/2002: According to Chinese media reports, the Yuanwang fleet of space survey and control ships was heavily involved in the Shenzhou-3 (SZ-3) orbiter's mission. The four ships, deployed in the Atlantic, the Indian and the Pacific Oceans, monitored SZ-3's mission data and provided up-to-date tracking information. In order to account for China's lack of space monitoring facilities in the southern hemisphere, the Yuanwang fleet was developed to provide mobile facilities. ["Fleet Carries Out Tracking and Observation of 'Shenzhou-3' Spaceship," Jiefangjun Bao, 27 March 2002; "PRC Space-Monitoring Vessels in Southern Hemisphere Tracking Unmanned Spaceship," Xinhua Wire Service, 1 April 2002; "The Inside Story of the Four 'Yuanwang' Survey Ships Monitoring 'Shenzhou III' for Seven Days and Nights," Renmin Wang (Beijing), 2 April 2002.]

2003

01/05/2003: The Shenzhou 4 unmanned spacecraft completed a week long mission in the early part of January 2003. This flight was expected to be the last before China's first manned flight later in the year. The spacecraft was launched on 30 December from the Jiuquan Launch Facility in China's Gansu Province. It returned to earth on 5 January, landing in China's northern province of Inner Mongolia. According to a Xinhua report "The successful launch and return of Shenzhou-4 shows China's technology for manned flights is becoming increasingly mature, which lays a solid foundation for eventually sending up manned flights." ["China Launches New Space Mission," BBC News, 30 December 2002; "China Begins Countdown To Manned Mission After Return Of Craft," SpaceDaily.com, 6 January 2003.]

02/02/2003: Chinese President Jiang Zemin sent condolences on behalf of the Chinese government to the United States on the loss of the seven-member crew on board the space shuttle Columbia. Despite the tragedy, Jiang said he believed that "mankind would forge ahead in space exploration." This seemed to indicate China's intention not to postpone its own manned space mission set for the fall of 2003. ["They are real heroes - China salutes Columbia astronauts," Xinhua Wire Service, 2 February 2003.]

08/11/2003: Chinese scientists at the Center for Space Science and Applied Research developed an alarm system for collision avoidance that will be fitted to Shenzhou 5 (SZ-5). The alarm system would automatically change the spacecraft's propulsion and speed to keep it away from the orbits of known space debris. ["Alarm System to Help Shenzhou V Avoid Debris in Space," China Daily, 11 August 2003.]

09/29/2003: Fourteen Chinese yuhangyuan arrived at a base in Gansu Province, ahead of the manned space flight. Two instructors, Li Jinlong and Wu Jie were among the pool of 14, both having received training at Russia's Star City cosmonaut training facility before returning to China to train other astronauts. The Shenzhou 5 module could theoretically carry three yuhangyuan into space, but analysts expect only one or two will be chosen. ["Chinese astronauts arrive at base ahead of manned space flight," Space Daily, 29 September 2003.]

10/02/2003: According to reports from Hong Kong, Chinese space officials set the launch window for their first manned space mission, Shenzhou 5 around 15 October 2003. This would allow the launching of the SZ-5 immediately after the conclusion of the Third Plenum of the 16th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. According to these reports, the SZ-5 mission would last approximately one day, similar in duration to the SZ-1 mission in 1999. The crew for SZ-5 had not yet been selected. ["Shenzhou-5 Single-Day Mission to Launch Near Oct. 15," Space Daily, 10 October 2003.]

10/05/2003: According to reports from Hong Kong media, China's 14 astronauts went through training on the Shenzhou 5 module to familiarize themselves with operational procedures. The 14 candidates are experienced pilots, all with more than 10 years of flight experience and at least 1,000 hours of high altitude flight time. ["China's Astronauts Practice Inside 'Shenzhou V'," Ta Kung Pao (Hong Kong), 5 October 2003.]

10/08/2003: China Central Television (CCTV) was instructed to prepare to broadcast the Shenzhou 5 launch on 15 October. According to an interview with Xie Guangxuan from the China Academy of Sciences, the area of greatest concern with the upcoming space flight would be the re-entry. Xie stated that, "during the Shenzhou series of flights, there has been one difficulty and that has been the re-entry of the space capsule." Xie continued that the capsule will go through a "black barrier" approximately 80km from the Earth's surface that will blanket the re-entry module and prevent ground stations from maintaining contact. ["China's Manned Space Flight to Last Just 90 Minutes on October 15," AFP, 8 October 2003.]

10/10/2003: According to Hong Kong's Wen Wei Po, the timetable for the Shenzhou 5 launch was drawn up, calling for a 0900 (Beijing time; 0100 GMT) on 15 October. According to the report, launching in the daytime would provide more suitable conditions for launch site workers and also be more conducive to the safety of the astronauts. A daytime recovery would be less of a technical challenge and would make coping with emergencies less complex. In a separate report, China Daily stated that the SZ-5 module will orbit the earth 14 times, with a total flight time of approximately 21 hours. ["'Shenzhou V' to Launch at 0100 GMT on 15 Oct, Space Mission to Last 21 Hours," Wen Wei Po (Hong Kong), 9 October 2003 in FBIS CPP20031009000027; "China to launch manned spaceflight next week," China Daily, 10 October 2003.]

10/14/2003: The Hong Kong paper Wen Wei Po announced that yuhangyuan Yang Liwei was the leading candidate for selection to pilot Shenzhou 5. The other two candidates were Zhai Zhigang and Nie Haisheng. Prior to launch, Chinese space officials would conduct a final psychological test to determine which candidate will be selected. The report also indicated that President Hu Jintao would fly to Jiuquan Space Launch Center immediately after the end of a key Communist Party meeting on Tuesday night to attend the launch. ["Identity of Final Group of Three Yuhangyuans Revealed," Space Daily, 14 October 2003; "China Drums Up Nationalistic Sentiment as Manned Space Mission Nears," AFP, 13 October 2003 in FBIS CPP20031013000066.]

10/15/2003: At 0900 (Beijing time) China launched its first manned spaceship, with 38-year-old astronaut Yang Liwei, piloting the ship. The capsule was launched with a Long March 2F. The rocket measured 58 meters, with a takeoff payload weight of 480 tons. Hours before the flight, China's President Hu Jintao and Central Ministry Commission chairman Jiang Zemin, met Yang Liwei, and later witnessed the launch. The launch was not broadcast live, but programming was interrupted to announce the successful launch. ["Chinese Astronaut Enters Orbit," BBC News, 15 October 2003 <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3192330.stm>; "Shenzhou V Blasts Off Into Space At 9:00am," ChinaDaily.com, 15 October 2003 <http://www1.chinadaily.com.cn/en/doc/2003-10/14/content_272029.htm>.]

Go to China's Manned Space Program: Trajectory and Motivations.