Shenzhou 5 and the First Chinese Spacewalk

In the 1990s China began its crewed spaceflight program. In 1992 the central government approved the project and set a “three-step” development strategy. In November 1999 the uncrewed Shenzhou 1 spacecraft successfully completed the program’s first test flight, beginning China’s journey into space. On 15 October 2003 astronaut Yang Liwei lifted off from Jiuquan aboard the crewed Shenzhou 5 spacecraft; after about 21 hours in space and 14 orbits of the Earth, he returned safely the next day to the landing site at Siziwang Banner, Inner Mongolia. China became the third country after the Soviet Union and the United States to master crewed spaceflight independently, realizing the Chinese nation’s age-old dream of flight. In 2005 Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng flew Shenzhou 6, completing a multi-person, multi-day mission. In September 2008 Zhai Zhigang, Liu Boming and Jing Haipeng flew into space aboard Shenzhou 7; Zhai left the spacecraft and waved the five-starred red flag in space, completing China’s first spacewalk. Afterward the Tiangong-1 target vehicle successfully docked with Shenzhou spacecraft, in 2013 Wang Yaping gave a lesson from space, and in 2022 the Chinese space station was completed. The achievements of the crewed space program reflect China’s scientific strength and overall national power, and gave rise to a spaceflight spirit of being “especially able to endure hardship, fight, tackle difficulties and contribute.” China’s Chang’e lunar exploration program also made great strides, and in 2019 Chang’e 4 made the first soft landing on the far side of the Moon.