Editing TIMELINE-Major Milestones In Chinese Space Exploration

<br>BEIJING, Dec 1 (Reuters) - China successfully landed a spacecraft on the moon's surface on Tuesday in a historic mission to retrieve lunar surface samples, [http://news.sky.com/search?term=Chinese Chinese] state media reported.<br> <br>This makes China only the third country to have retrieved lunar samples, following the United States and the Soviet Union decades ago.<br> <br>Here is a timeline of key moments in Chinese space exploration:<br> <br>July 19, 1964: China took its first official step into space, launching and recovering an experimental biological rocket carrying white mice.<br> <br>April 24, 1970: The first Chinese artificial satellite, Dong Fang Hong 1, was launched at the Jiuquan launch center in the northwestern province of Gansu.<br><br>That made China the fifth country to send satellites into orbit following the Soviet Union, the United States, France and Japan.<br> <br>Nov. 26, 1975: China's first recoverable satellite was successfully launched and  [https://www.kynghidongduong.vn/blog/kham-pha-lac-son-dai-phat-tuong-thieng-cao-nhat-the-gioi.html Lạc Sơn Đại Phật] returned to Earth.<br> <br>Nov. 20, 1999: China successfully launched its first unmanned spacecraft, the Shenzhou 1, at the Jiuquan launch center.<br>The country launched another three unmanned spaceships in 2001 and 2002 in preparation for a manned spacecraft.<br> <br>Oct. 15, 2003: China became the third country after the United States and Russia to send a man into space with its own rocket. Astronaut Yang Liwei spent about 21 hours in space aboard the Shenzhou-5 spacecraft.<br> <br>Oct.<br><br>12, 2005: The country sent two men on a five-day flight on its Shenzhou VI craft.<br> <br>Nov. 5, 2007: China's first lunar orbiter, Chang'e 1, entered the moon's orbit 12 days after takeoff.<br> <br>Sept. 25, 2008: China's third manned rocket, Shenzhou VII, was launched into space where an astronaut clambered out of the spacecraft and walked in space.<br> <br>Oct.<br><br>1,  [https://www.kynghidongduong.vn/blog/kham-pha-lac-son-dai-phat-tuong-thieng-cao-nhat-the-gioi.html kynghidongduong.vn] 2010: China's second lunar exploration probe blasted off from a remote corner of the southwestern province of Sichuan.<br> <br>Sept. 29, 2011: The Tiangong-1, or "Heavenly Palace 1", China's first space lab, was launched to carry out docking and orbit experiments.<br> <br>Nov.<br><br>3, 2011: China successfully carried out its first docking exercise between two unmanned spacecraft, the Shenzhou 8 spacecraft and Tiangong 1 module, a key test to securing a long-term manned presence in space.<br> <br>Dec. 14, 2013: China landed an unmanned spacecraft on the moon in the first such "soft-landing" since 1976, joining the United States and the former Soviet Union in managing to accomplish the feat.<br> <br>Sept.<br><br>15, 2016:China launched its second experimental space laboratory, the Tiangong 2, part of a broader plan to have a permanent manned space station in service around 2022.<br> <br>Jan. 3, 2019: The Chang'e-4 lunar probe, launched in December, successfully touched down on the far side of the moon. Previous spacecraft have seen the far side, but none have landed on it.<br> <br>June 23, 2020: China successfully put into orbit its final Beidou satellite, completing a navigation network years in the making and setting the stage to challenge the U.S.-owned Global Positioning System (GPS).<br> <br>July 23, 2020: China launched an unmanned probe to Mars in its first independent mission to another planet.<br> <br>Nov.<br><br>24, 2020: China launches an uncrewed mission called Chang'e-5 with the aim of collecting lunar material to help scientists learn more about the moon's origins.<br> <br>Dec. 1, 2020: China successfully lands the Chang'e-5 probe on the moon's surface, Chinese state media report.<br> <br>(Compiled by Liangping Gao and Ryan Woo; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and  [https://www.kynghidongduong.vn/blog/kham-pha-lac-son-dai-phat-tuong-thieng-cao-nhat-the-gioi.html Lạc Sơn Đại Phật] Gareth Jones)<br>
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−	<br>BEIJING, ~~[https://www.kynghidongduong.vn/blog/kham-pha-lac-son-dai-phat-tuong-thieng-cao-nhat-the-gioi.html Lạc Sơn Đại Phật] Nov 23~~ (Reuters) - China ~~plans to launch an unmanned probe to~~ the moon ~~early this week to bring back lunar rocks~~ in ~~the first attempt by any nation~~ to retrieve samples ~~from Earth's natural satellite since the 1970s~~.<br> <br>~~If successful, the mission will make~~ China only the third country to have retrieved lunar samples, following the United States and the Soviet Union decades ago.<br> <br>Here is a timeline of key moments in Chinese space exploration:<br> <br>July 19, 1964: China took its first official step into space, launching and recovering an experimental biological rocket carrying white mice.<br> <br>April 24, 1970: The first Chinese artificial satellite, Dong Fang Hong 1, was launched at the Jiuquan launch ~~centre~~ in the northwestern province of Gansu.<br><br>That made China the fifth country to send satellites into orbit following the Soviet Union, the United States, France and Japan.<br> <br>Nov. 26, 1975: China's first recoverable satellite was successfully launched and returned to Earth.<br> <br>Nov. 20, 1999: China successfully launched its first unmanned spacecraft, the Shenzhou 1, at the Jiuquan launch ~~centre~~.~~<br>~~<br>The country launched another three unmanned spaceships in 2001 and 2002 in preparation for a manned spacecraft.<br> <br>Oct. 15, 2003: China became the third country after the United States and Russia to send a man into space with its own rocket. Astronaut Yang Liwei spent about 21 hours in space aboard the Shenzhou-5 spacecraft.<br> <br>Oct.<br><br>12, 2005: The country sent two men on a five-day flight on its Shenzhou VI craft.<br> <br>Nov. 5, 2007: China's first lunar orbiter, Chang'e 1, entered the moon's orbit 12 days after takeoff.<br> <br>Sept. 25, 2008: China's third manned rocket, Shenzhou VII, was launched into space where an astronaut clambered out of the spacecraft and walked in space.<br> <br>Oct.<br><br>1, 2010: China's second lunar exploration probe blasted off from a remote corner of the southwestern province of Sichuan.<br> <br>Sept. 29, 2011: The Tiangong-1, or "Heavenly Palace 1", China's first space lab, was launched to carry out docking and orbit experiments.<br> <br>Nov.<br><br>3, 2011: China successfully carried out its first docking exercise between two unmanned spacecraft, the Shenzhou 8 spacecraft and Tiangong 1 module, a key test to securing a long-term manned ~~[http://search.un.org/search?ie=utf8&site=un_org&output=xml_no_dtd&client=UN_Website_en&num=10&lr=lang_en&proxystylesheet=UN_Website_en&oe=utf8&q=presence&Submit=Go~~ presence] in space.<br> <br>Dec. 14, 2013: China landed an unmanned spacecraft on the moon in the first such "soft-landing" since 1976, joining the United States and the former Soviet Union in managing to accomplish the feat.<br> <br>Sept.<br><br>15, ~~[https://www.kynghidongduong.vn/blog/kham-pha-lac-son-dai-phat-tuong-thieng-cao-nhat-the-gioi.html kynghidongduong.vn]~~ 2016:China launched its second experimental space laboratory, the Tiangong 2, ~~[https://www.kynghidongduong.vn/blog/kham-pha-lac-son-dai-phat-tuong-thieng-cao-nhat-the-gioi.html Lạc Sơn Đại Phật]~~ part of a broader plan to have a permanent manned space station in service around 2022.<br> <br>Jan. 3, 2019: The Chang'e-4 lunar probe, launched in December, successfully touched down on the far side of the moon. Previous spacecraft have seen the far side, but none have landed on it.<br> <br>June 23, 2020: China successfully put into orbit its final Beidou satellite, completing a navigation network years in the making and setting the stage to challenge the U.S.-owned Global Positioning System (GPS).<br> <br>July 23, 2020: China launched an unmanned probe to Mars in its first independent mission to another planet.<br><br>(Compiled by Liangping Gao and Ryan Woo; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)<br>	+	<br>BEIJING, Dec 1 (Reuters) - China successfully landed a spacecraft on the moon's surface on Tuesday in a historic mission to retrieve lunar surface samples, [http://news.sky.com/search?term=Chinese Chinese] state media reported.<br> <br>This makes China only the third country to have retrieved lunar samples, following the United States and the Soviet Union decades ago.<br> <br>Here is a timeline of key moments in Chinese space exploration:<br> <br>July 19, 1964: China took its first official step into space, launching and recovering an experimental biological rocket carrying white mice.<br> <br>April 24, 1970: The first Chinese artificial satellite, Dong Fang Hong 1, was launched at the Jiuquan launch center in the northwestern province of Gansu.<br><br>That made China the fifth country to send satellites into orbit following the Soviet Union, the United States, France and Japan.<br> <br>Nov. 26, 1975: China's first recoverable satellite was successfully launched and [https://www.kynghidongduong.vn/blog/kham-pha-lac-son-dai-phat-tuong-thieng-cao-nhat-the-gioi.html Lạc Sơn Đại Phật] returned to Earth.<br> <br>Nov. 20, 1999: China successfully launched its first unmanned spacecraft, the Shenzhou 1, at the Jiuquan launch center.<br>The country launched another three unmanned spaceships in 2001 and 2002 in preparation for a manned spacecraft.<br> <br>Oct. 15, 2003: China became the third country after the United States and Russia to send a man into space with its own rocket. Astronaut Yang Liwei spent about 21 hours in space aboard the Shenzhou-5 spacecraft.<br> <br>Oct.<br><br>12, 2005: The country sent two men on a five-day flight on its Shenzhou VI craft.<br> <br>Nov. 5, 2007: China's first lunar orbiter, Chang'e 1, entered the moon's orbit 12 days after takeoff.<br> <br>Sept. 25, 2008: China's third manned rocket, Shenzhou VII, was launched into space where an astronaut clambered out of the spacecraft and walked in space.<br> <br>Oct.<br><br>1, [https://www.kynghidongduong.vn/blog/kham-pha-lac-son-dai-phat-tuong-thieng-cao-nhat-the-gioi.html kynghidongduong.vn] 2010: China's second lunar exploration probe blasted off from a remote corner of the southwestern province of Sichuan.<br> <br>Sept. 29, 2011: The Tiangong-1, or "Heavenly Palace 1", China's first space lab, was launched to carry out docking and orbit experiments.<br> <br>Nov.<br><br>3, 2011: China successfully carried out its first docking exercise between two unmanned spacecraft, the Shenzhou 8 spacecraft and Tiangong 1 module, a key test to securing a long-term manned presence in space.<br> <br>Dec. 14, 2013: China landed an unmanned spacecraft on the moon in the first such "soft-landing" since 1976, joining the United States and the former Soviet Union in managing to accomplish the feat.<br> <br>Sept.<br><br>15, 2016:China launched its second experimental space laboratory, the Tiangong 2, part of a broader plan to have a permanent manned space station in service around 2022.<br> <br>Jan. 3, 2019: The Chang'e-4 lunar probe, launched in December, successfully touched down on the far side of the moon. Previous spacecraft have seen the far side, but none have landed on it.<br> <br>June 23, 2020: China successfully put into orbit its final Beidou satellite, completing a navigation network years in the making and setting the stage to challenge the U.S.-owned Global Positioning System (GPS).<br> <br>July 23, 2020: China launched an unmanned probe to Mars in its first independent mission to another planet.<br> <br>Nov.<br><br>24, 2020: China launches an uncrewed mission called Chang'e-5 with the aim of collecting lunar material to help scientists learn more about the moon's origins.<br> <br>Dec. 1, 2020: China successfully lands the Chang'e-5 probe on the moon's surface, Chinese state media report.<br> <br>(Compiled by Liangping Gao and Ryan Woo; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and [https://www.kynghidongduong.vn/blog/kham-pha-lac-son-dai-phat-tuong-thieng-cao-nhat-the-gioi.html Lạc Sơn Đại Phật] Gareth Jones)<br>