Since its birth in 1956, China's space program has gone through several important stages of development -- arduous pioneering, overall development in all related fields, reform and revitalization, and international cooperation -- to reach a considerable scale and level, in the process forming a comprehensive system of research, design, production, and testing.
Other achievements of the country's space program include: the putting-in-place of space centers capable of launching satellites of various types and manned spacecraft as well as a TT & C (Telemetry Tracking and Command) network consisting of ground stations across the country and tracking and telemetry ships; the establishment of a number of satellite application systems, which have yielded remarkable social and economic benefits; the setting-up of a space science research system of a fairly high level has been set up, with many innovative achievements having been made; and the emergence of a contingent of qualified space scientists and technicians.
China's space industry was developed on the basis of weak infrastructure industries and a relatively backward scientific and technological level, under special national and historical conditions. In the process of carrying out space activities independently, China has opened a road of development unique to its national situation, scoring a series of important achievements with relatively small input and within a relatively short span of time.
Now, China ranks among the most advanced countries in the world in many important technological fields, such as satellite recovery, single-rocket multi-satellite launch, cryogenic-fueled rockets, strap-on rockets, geo-stationary satellite launch, and TT & C. Significant achievements have also been gained in the development and application of remote-sensing satellites and telecommunications satellites, and in manned spacecraft testing and space micro-gravity experiments.
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