China’s successful manned space mission lasting 21hours has made them the third country in the world to put a human being into orbit after the Soviets and the Americans. This success is a result of eleven years of meticulous planning. According to Western scientists China has not broken any fresh technological barriers, but played safe to see to it that their taikonaut (the Chinese word for astronaut) returned quickly and safely. The Americans and the Soviets had done this successfully 42 years back. So the questions that arise are many: Why now? What is so great about it? Will it start a new space race?

From China’s point of view this is a testament to their economic and technical progress. For the last one or two decade, China has been emerging as a strong regional power based on its vibrant economy. Also China is successfully managing its defence infrastructure by catering to the needs of fast changing global politics and technology. It is expected that they could use information warfare to achieve hegemony in the region. China understands the meaning of security in the information age and is adapting itself to the revolution in military affairs (RMA) by systematically integrating the necessary tools and tactics into its war fighting machinery. The current Chinese manned leap into space should be considered within this backdrop.

China started its space programme in the 1950s to promote its Maoist ideology. During the last 50 years, the Chinese space programme has transcended from communist ideology to a philosophy of domination. It is argued that the Chinese leadership is expecting a boost in national pride due to the success of this launch, to rally popular sentiments behind the Communist Party and raise the profile of Chinese technology. The successful mission of Shenzhou-5 could also be considered a first step towards space dominance. Now, China is likely to concentrate on developing technologies to ensure precise docking between the spaceship and orbit module, which are keys to the planned setting up of China’s space labs. They could also concentrate on developing more efficient and reliable vehicles to launch space stations.

However, a few US analysts see China’s manned space activity as a Trojan horse to conceal their military space activities. The linked military benefits would be improvement in missile/rocket technology and capability to damage space based systems of other countries. Along with technical experiments in space, the Chinese astronauts could also investigate the utility of manned reconnaissance from space.

The date of launch does not appear to have any particular significance. It took place in 2003 at the logical conclusion of their ‘Project 921’. Prior to this launch four other launches of Shenzhou spacecraft had taken place which enabled China to advance towards achieving additional capabilities to send a man into the space. This was a dream project for the earlier Chinese leadership, and it was expected that China would have sent a man into space during Jiang Zemin’s regime itself. This 21- hour space journey had a simple mission profile to make 14 orbits around the earth. The last-hour cancellation of the planned live television broadcast of the launch is indicative of the Chinese mindset about the political risks involved in the launch. China was not politically ready to accept failure. However, with the successful launch they have proved a point to the world. This success looks particularly bright against the recent Columbia space shuttle disaster.

Have the Chinese started a new space race? Some analysts believe that a new space race is drawing and this flight is much more than a stunt. The question is whether, deliberately or not, the US could be beginning to cede its leadership in space. China’s ambitions do not stop here. They have plans for a moon mission with a permanent outpost, a Mars mission and a space station. Most importantly, all these programs are backed by sound financial resources. This launch clearly reveals the Chinese desire to catch up with the Americans and Russians in space technology. Events in the last decade have forced the Chinese to work with more vigor in this field. Gulf Wars I and II, Kosovo and the Afghanistan conflict have proven that the US seeks to undertake asymmetric operations by exploiting various space technologies that its opponents do not possess. So China’s space polices could also be just a natural progression.

China understands that space technologies are not a substitute for military capabilities but they are definitely force multipliers. This launch could be the beginning of China’s challenge to the US both commercially and strategically in the area of space technologies.