Abstract
It is rare to find a contestant excited at the prospect of coming third in a race where second place was awarded four decades earlier, but China is showing impressive determination about becoming the third country to send a man into orbit. In November 1999, China conducted the first unmanned test of the new Shenzhou series of crewed spacecraft in a one-day mission, designated SZ-1, that saw the successful launch, orbiting and recovery of the capsule. Two subsequent unmanned missions - the most recent at the end of March 2002 - confirm that the launch of China's first astronauts is merely a matter of time. While Beijing has pledged that China will conduct its first manned mission by 2005, current progress suggests it might take place as early as 2003. Although essentially prestige-driven, China hopes that achieving manned spaceflight will yield practical benefits too.
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