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HISTORY AND RECENT DEVELOPMENTS The PRC's space program dates to 1956, when Tsien Hsue-Shen recently deported from the United States after being accused of being a communist during the Red Scare , proposed and became first director of a ballistic missile program. The March 1 , 1956 , Twelve-Year-Plan for Chinese aerospace, also known as Project 581, was the first Chinese satellite project, with the objective of placing a satellite in orbit by 1959 .http://www.astronautix.com/craft/proct581.htm During the cordial Sino-Soviet relations of the 1950s, the USSR engaged in a cooperative technology transfer program with the PRC under which they trained Chinese students and provided the fledgling program with a sample rocket, but this support was abruptly withdrawn after the 1960 Sino-Soviet Split . The PRC continued the program independently and launched their first rocket, based on the Russian R-2 , in late 1960. Development continued through the 1960s and 1970s, with the first launch of the indigenous Dongfeng Missile in 1964. The same technology, adapted into the Long March Rocket , was used to launch the PRC's first satellite Dong Fang Hong I ( The East Is Red I), in 1970, allowing the PRC to join the USSR , United States , France , and Japan as the fifth spacefaring nation. The PRC went on to launch 55 satellites in the Dong Fang Hong series over the following three decades. Further development of the Long March Rocket series allowed the PRC to initiate a commercial launch program in 1985, which has since launched over 30 foreign satellites, primarily for European and Asia n interests. The United States government has long been resistant to the use of PRC launch services by American industry due to concerns over technology transfer, and in 2000 announced an official embargo. The PRC has continued to improve their rocket designs, though the next generation Long March 5 appears stalled from lack of funding. The PRC is a member of the United Nations Committee On The Peaceful Uses Of Outer Space and a signatory to all United Nations treaties and conventions on space. ORGANIZATION Initially the space program of the PRC was organized under the People's Liberation Army , particularly the Second Artillery Corps. In the 1990s, however, the PRC reorganized the space program as part of a general reorganization of the defense industry to make it resemble Western defense procurement. The China National Space Administration , an agency within the Commission Of Science, Technology And Industry For National Defense currently headed by Sun Laiyan , is now responsible for launches. The Long March Rocket which is produced by the China Academy Of Launch Vehicle Technology , and satellites are produced by the China Aerospace Science And Technology Corporation . The latter organizations are State-owned Enterprise s; however, it is the intent of the PRC government that they not actively be state managed and that they behave much as private corporations would in the West. The space program also has close links with Tsinghua University and Harbin Institute Of Technology . SATELLITE LAUNCH CENTERS The PRC operates 4 Satellite Launch Centers:
MONITORING AND CONTROL CENTERS
MANNED SPACEFLIGHT PROGRAMS PRC's manned spaceflight programs started as top secret as early as 1968, when it was founded by Tsien Hsue-Shen of the Space Flight Medical Research Centre. Project 714 aimed to put two people into space by 1973 with the ''' Shuguang ''' spacecraft. Nineteen PLAAF pilots were selected for this goal on March 1971. The Shuguang-1 spacecraft to be launched with the CZ-2A rocket was designed to carry a crew of two. The program was officially cancelled on May 13 , 1972 for economic reasons, though the internal politics of the Cultural Revolution likely motivated the closure. The short-lived second manned program was based on the successful implementation of landing technology (third in the World after USSR and USA ) by FSW Satellite s. It was announced in 1978 with the open publishing of some details including photos, but then was abruptly canceled in 1980. It has been argued that the second manned program was created solely for propaganda purposes, and was never intended to produce results.2 In 1992, authorization and funding was given for Project 921, which was a plan to launch a manned spacecraft. The ''' Shenzhou ''' program had four unmanned test flights. The first one was '' Shenzhou 1 '' on November 20 , 1999 . On January 9 , 2001 '' Shenzhou 2 '' launched carrying test animals. '' Shenzhou 3 '' and '' Shenzhou 4 '' were launched in 2002, carrying test dummies. Following these was the successful '' Shenzhou 5 '', China's first manned mission in space on October 15 , 2003 , which carried Yang Liwei in orbit for 21 hours and made China the third nation to launch a human into orbit. '' Shenzhou 6 '' followed two years later. At least two more Shenzhou missions, with multiple crew members, space walks, and dockings, remain in planning. Missions are launched on the Long March 2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center . The PRC initially designed the Shenzhou ships with docking equipment suitable for the International Space Station (ISS) and built its launching platforms in the appropriate latitude for a rendezvous. Following the success of '' Shenzhou 5 '', the PRC formally requested to join the ISS, but the United States strongly opposed the plan. The PRC in turn announced its intention to build its own space station. The unofficial website Taikonauts Go suggests that Shenzhou-8 (an unmanned space lab) Shenzhou-9 (unmanned) and a manned Shenzhou-10 will be docked in late 2010 to form a primitive space station, much like the Soviet Union's early Salyut program. The PRC has now turned its diplomatic attention to establishing further joint programs with the European Space Agency and Russia . re-entry module]] In (approx. US$170 million) to orbit a satellite around the Moon before 2007. Phase two involves a lander before 2010. Phase three involves collecting lunar soil samples before 2020. On November 27 , 2005 , the deputy commander of the manned spaceflight program announced that the PRC planned to complete a space station and a manned mission to the Moon by 2020, assuming funding was approved by the government. Towards that end they intended to perfect space walking and docking by 2012. However, funding for the necessary Chang Zheng 5 series of rockets remains in abeyance. On December 14 , 2005 , it was reported "an effort to launch lunar orbiting satellites will be supplanted in 2007 by a program aimed at accomplishing an unmanned lunar landing. A program to return unmanned space vehicles from the moon will begin in 2012 and last for five years, until the manned program gets underway" in 2017, with a manned Moon landing some time after that. {Link without Title} In February 2006, China announced that the Shenzhou 7 mission would be delayed from 2007 to 2008 to allow additional development time for the spacesuit for the planned first Chinese spacewalk. On June 22 , 2006 , Long Lehao , deputy chief architect of the lunar probe project, laid out a schedule for China's lunar exploration. He set 2024 as the date of China's first moonwalk {Link without Title} . Yang Liwei declared at the 16th Human in Space Symposium of International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) in Beijing, on May 22 , 2007 that building a lunar base was a crucial step to realize a flight to Mars and farther planets.3 Sun Laiyan , administrator of the China National Space Administration , said on July 20 , 2006 , that China would start deep space exploration focusing on Mars over the next five years, during the 11th Five-Year (2006-2010) Program period.http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200607/20/eng20060720_284801.html The first unmanned Mars exploration program should take place between the 2014 - 2033 period, followed by a manned phase in 2040 - 2060 .http://military.china.com/zh_cn/news/568/20060214/13091486.html Moreover, in order to make manned flight in deep space toward Mars safer, a .http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200607/21/eng20060721_285274.html Chief designer of the Shenzhou spacecraft Qi Faren has stated in 2006 that "''the Chinese manned space program was not aimed at sending tourists into space, but instead at preparing for the exploration of Mars and return safely''".http://scitech.people.com.cn/GB/25892/4028044.html Astronauts November 1996 trainer selection There were two astronaut trainers selected for Project 921. They trained at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonauts Training Center in Russia.
January 1998 first Chinese astronaut (yuhangyuan) detachment
As for 2006, at least two other selections of younger taikonauts are being trained. GOALS PRC's space program has several goals. The China National Space Administration policy white paper lists short term goals as:
Among their stated longer term goals are:
LIST OF PROJECTS Satellites and science
Satellite Launch Center
Launch vehicles
Space exploration (CLEP).]]
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