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October 8, 1956: An institute on missile and rocket research is established.
July 19, 1964: A rocket carrying albino rats is successfully launched.
April 1, 1968: An institute for spaceflight-oriented medical engineering is set up.
April 24, 1970: The Dong Fang Hong-1 scientific experimental satellite lifts off aboard a Long March rocket.
November 26, 1975: China's first recoverable satellite is launched.
September 7, 1988: A meteorological satellite, Feng Yun 1-A, is launched.
April 7, 1990: A Long March CZ 3 rocket sends the AsiaSat 1 communication satellite into orbit, marking the beginning of China's commercial launch service.
July 16, 1990: The Long March CZ 2-E cluster carrier rocket enters service, which is able to send a spacecraft into space.
November 20, 1999: The unmanned Shenzhou 1 spacecraft is launched.
January 10, 2001: The unmanned Shenzhou 2 enters space.
March 25, 2002: The unmanned Shenzhou 3 spacecraft is launched.
December 30, 2002: The unmanned Shenzhou 4 spacecraft is launched.
October 15, 2003: The Shenzhou 5 spacecraft blasts off into space, with Yang Liwei, the first Chinese astronaut aboard.
October 12, 2005: The Shenzhou 6 spacecraft is launched, sending two astronauts, Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng, into space.
October 24, 2007: China's first unmanned lunar orbiter, Chang'e-1, lifts off.
September 25, 2008: The Shenzhou 7 spacecraft blasts off, sending Zhai Zhigang, Liu Boming and Jing Haipeng into space. Zhai completes China's first space walk on September 27, 2008.
October 1, 2010: Chang'e-2 lunar probe is lifted into space by a Long March 3 carrier rocket, marking the beginning of the second phase of China's lunar probe project.
September 29, 2011: China's first unmanned space module Tiangong-1, or Heavenly Palace-1, is launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu Province.
(Source: Xinhua News Agency) | 
