China's Space Program

All Things Policy

The roots of China’s space ambitions go back to 1957 when the Soviet Union successfully launched the world’s first artificial satellite, Sputnik-1, into space. That year, Chairman Mao Zedong declared China would also launch its own satellite. With the help of Soviet technology and scientists such as Qian Xuesen, who studied and initially worked in the United States but was deported for allegedly being a communist sympathiser, the country established its space programme. In July 1964, China took its first official step into space, launching and recovering an experimental biological rocket carrying white mice. In this episode of All Things Policy, Rakshith Shetty quizzes Dr Gunjan Singh on China's Space Program. From its historical roots to future ambitions, join us for expert insights and analysis on one of the most exciting frontiers of modern exploration.