Status
Success
Dong Fang Hong 1
Fri Apr 24, 1970 13:35 UTC
China's first orbital launch. China becomes the 5th space power. First flight of Long March 1 with a third stage.
China becomes the third country to launch a satellite into orbit on the first try, after the USSR and France.
Rocket
Mission Details
Dong Fang Hong 1
DFH 1 (Dong Fang Hong 1) was the first Chinese satellite. This was the first satellite launched by China on its own booster, making China the fifth nation to put a spacecraft into orbit using its own rocket.
The satellite was developed under the direction of Tsien Hsue-Shen, dean of the Chinese Academy of Space Technology (CAST). The experimental satellite was a nearly spherically shaped symmetrical 72-faced polyhedron with a 1-meter diameter. It was battery-powered and carried a radio transmitter. The primary mission was to broadcast the song "Dong Fang Hong", paying tribute to Chairman Mao, and to announce the time. A total of five identical satellites were built to have backups in case of launch failures. The first satellite launched successfully.