<p>China's launch this week of an unmanned spacecraft aimed at bringing back lunar rocks -- the first attempt by any nation to retrieve samples from the Moon in four decades -- underlines just how far the country has come in achieving its "space dream".</p>.<p>Beijing has poured billions into its military-run space programme, with hopes of having a crewed space station by 2022 and of eventually sending humans to the Moon.</p>.<p>China has come a long way in its race to catch up with the United States and Russia, whose astronauts and cosmonauts have had decades of experience in space exploration.</p>.<p>Beijing sees its military-run space programme as a marker of its rising global stature and growing technological might.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/world-news-politics/china-launches-robotic-spacecraft-to-retrieve-rocks-from-the-moon-919271.html">China launches robotic spacecraft to retrieve rocks from the moon</a></strong></p>.<p>Here is a look at China's space programme through the decades, and where it is headed:</p>.<p>Soon after the Soviet Union launched Sputnik in 1957, Chairman Mao Zedong pronounced "we too will make satellites."</p>.<p>It took more than a decade, but in 1970, China's first satellite lifted into space on the back of a Long March rocket.</p>.<p>Human space flight took decades longer, with Yang Liwei becoming China's first astronaut to go into space in 2003.</p>.<p>As the launch approached, concerns over the viability of the mission caused Beijing to cancel a nationwide live television broadcast at the last minute.</p>.<p>Despite the fears, the launch went off smoothly, with Yang orbiting the Earth 14 times during his 21-hour flight aboard the Shenzhou 5.</p>.<p>Since then, China has sent men and women into space with increasing regularity.</p>.<p>Following in the footsteps of the United States and Russia, China is striving to open a space station circling our planet.</p>.<p>The Tiangong-1 was shot into orbit in September 2011.</p>.<p>In 2013, the second Chinese woman in space, Wang Yaping, gave a video class from inside the space module beamed back to children across the world's most populous country.</p>.<p>The lab was also used for medical experiments and, most importantly, tests intended to prepare for the building of a space station.</p>.<p>The lab was followed by the "Jade Rabbit" lunar rover in 2013, which looked at first like a dud when it turned dormant and stopped sending signals back to Earth.</p>.<p>The rover made a dramatic recovery, though, ultimately surveying the Moon's surface for 31 months, well beyond its expected lifespan.</p>.<p>In 2016, China launched its second station, the Tiangong-2 lab into orbit 393 kilometres (244 miles) above Earth, in what analysts say will likely serve as a final building block before China launches a manned space station.</p>.<p>Astronauts who have visited the station have run experiments on growing rice and other plants, as well as docking spacecraft.</p>.<p>Under President Xi Jinping, plans for China's "space dream", as he calls it, have been put into overdrive.</p>.<p>The new superpower is looking to finally catch up with the US and Russia after years of belatedly matching their space milestones.</p>.<p>The ambitions start with a space station of its own -- China was deliberately left out of the International Space Station effort -- with the assembly of pieces in space expected to start this year and manned use to begin around 2022.</p>.<p>China is also planning to build a base on the Moon, with Zhang Kejian, head of the country's National Space Administration saying last year that the country aimed to establish a lunar mission by 2029.</p>.<p>But lunar work was dealt a setback in 2017 when the Long March-5 Y2, a powerful heavy-lift rocket, failed to launch on a mission to send communication satellites into orbit.</p>.<p>The failure forced the postponement of the launch of Chang'e-5, which was originally scheduled to collect Moon samples in the second half of 2017.</p>.<p>Another robot, the Chang'e-4, landed on the far side of the Moon in January 2019 -- a historic first.</p>.<p>China's astronauts and scientists have also talked up manned missions to Mars as Beijing strives to become a global space power.</p>
<p>China's launch this week of an unmanned spacecraft aimed at bringing back lunar rocks -- the first attempt by any nation to retrieve samples from the Moon in four decades -- underlines just how far the country has come in achieving its "space dream".</p>.<p>Beijing has poured billions into its military-run space programme, with hopes of having a crewed space station by 2022 and of eventually sending humans to the Moon.</p>.<p>China has come a long way in its race to catch up with the United States and Russia, whose astronauts and cosmonauts have had decades of experience in space exploration.</p>.<p>Beijing sees its military-run space programme as a marker of its rising global stature and growing technological might.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/world-news-politics/china-launches-robotic-spacecraft-to-retrieve-rocks-from-the-moon-919271.html">China launches robotic spacecraft to retrieve rocks from the moon</a></strong></p>.<p>Here is a look at China's space programme through the decades, and where it is headed:</p>.<p>Soon after the Soviet Union launched Sputnik in 1957, Chairman Mao Zedong pronounced "we too will make satellites."</p>.<p>It took more than a decade, but in 1970, China's first satellite lifted into space on the back of a Long March rocket.</p>.<p>Human space flight took decades longer, with Yang Liwei becoming China's first astronaut to go into space in 2003.</p>.<p>As the launch approached, concerns over the viability of the mission caused Beijing to cancel a nationwide live television broadcast at the last minute.</p>.<p>Despite the fears, the launch went off smoothly, with Yang orbiting the Earth 14 times during his 21-hour flight aboard the Shenzhou 5.</p>.<p>Since then, China has sent men and women into space with increasing regularity.</p>.<p>Following in the footsteps of the United States and Russia, China is striving to open a space station circling our planet.</p>.<p>The Tiangong-1 was shot into orbit in September 2011.</p>.<p>In 2013, the second Chinese woman in space, Wang Yaping, gave a video class from inside the space module beamed back to children across the world's most populous country.</p>.<p>The lab was also used for medical experiments and, most importantly, tests intended to prepare for the building of a space station.</p>.<p>The lab was followed by the "Jade Rabbit" lunar rover in 2013, which looked at first like a dud when it turned dormant and stopped sending signals back to Earth.</p>.<p>The rover made a dramatic recovery, though, ultimately surveying the Moon's surface for 31 months, well beyond its expected lifespan.</p>.<p>In 2016, China launched its second station, the Tiangong-2 lab into orbit 393 kilometres (244 miles) above Earth, in what analysts say will likely serve as a final building block before China launches a manned space station.</p>.<p>Astronauts who have visited the station have run experiments on growing rice and other plants, as well as docking spacecraft.</p>.<p>Under President Xi Jinping, plans for China's "space dream", as he calls it, have been put into overdrive.</p>.<p>The new superpower is looking to finally catch up with the US and Russia after years of belatedly matching their space milestones.</p>.<p>The ambitions start with a space station of its own -- China was deliberately left out of the International Space Station effort -- with the assembly of pieces in space expected to start this year and manned use to begin around 2022.</p>.<p>China is also planning to build a base on the Moon, with Zhang Kejian, head of the country's National Space Administration saying last year that the country aimed to establish a lunar mission by 2029.</p>.<p>But lunar work was dealt a setback in 2017 when the Long March-5 Y2, a powerful heavy-lift rocket, failed to launch on a mission to send communication satellites into orbit.</p>.<p>The failure forced the postponement of the launch of Chang'e-5, which was originally scheduled to collect Moon samples in the second half of 2017.</p>.<p>Another robot, the Chang'e-4, landed on the far side of the Moon in January 2019 -- a historic first.</p>.<p>China's astronauts and scientists have also talked up manned missions to Mars as Beijing strives to become a global space power.</p>