The pace of China's space industry picked up in the 1980s and 1990s. In September 1981, the PRC successfully launched three satellites to orbit with one rocket. In 1999, China launched and recovered an unmanned capsule designed to carry men and women into orbit in the 21st century. The successful launch was Nov. 20 and the controlled landing was Nov. 21. The flight was part of preparations to send the PRC's first persons into orbit in the 21st century.
China wants to become the third nation on Earth to put a human in space.
Only the United States and Russia have done so using their own rockets. Shenzhou is similar to Russia's Soyuz capsule, which carries cosmonauts to and from Russia's Mir space station. The unmanned craft was launched atop a new model of China's Long March rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China. About 10 minutes after liftoff, Shenzhou separated from its launch vehicle and went into orbit, circling Earth 14 times over 21 hours before controllers brought it down safely in Inner Mongolia. State of the Art.