Xinhua News Agency, Jiuquan, November 29. Title: Reporter’s Notes: China’s Dream of Flying to the Sky—Written on the occasion of the successful launch of the Shenzhou 15 manned spacecraft
Xinhua News Agency reporter Huang Ming
At 23:08 on November 29, 2022, in northwest China, deep in the desert.
When the orange-red rocket tail flame pierced the vast night sky, the Shenzhou 15 manned spacecraft, supported by the Long March 2F Yao 15 carrier rocket, soared into the sky like a white dragon.
This is a moment destined to be recorded in the history of China’s aerospace industry.
At 18:40 on October 15, 2003, Yang Liwei, China’s first astronaut, greeted people all over the world from space, and displayed the five-star red flag and the United Nations flag side by side in the cabin (photographed on the big screen of the Beijing Aerospace Command and Control Center).Xinhua News Agency
This flight is the last flight before the completion of the Chinese space station——
The manned mission of Shenzhou 15 is the last stick in the construction phase of China’s space station. In the boundless universe, the Chinese nation has marked a new flying height.
This flight is a new starting point to start again with dreams——
This mission is also the first step in the application and development stage of the space station, which plays an important role in linking the past and the future.
A new height, a new starting point. On this day ten years ago, it was the time when the Chinese Dream was proposed.
On November 29, 2012, General Secretary Xi Jinping led the new central leadership to visit the exhibition “Road to Rejuvenation” at the National Museum, proclaiming to the world the Chinese dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
After more than half a year, on June 24, 2013, during a phone call with the three astronauts of Shenzhou 10, Xi Jinping said affectionately that the space dream is an important part of the dream of strengthening the country. With the rapid development of China’s aerospace industry, Chinese people will take greater and farther steps in space exploration.
The commander’s affectionate concern is a dream of a strong country and an aerospace dream.
This dream has come step by step firmly from the patriotic dedication and self-improvement of Chinese astronauts from generation to generation——
At 23:08 on November 29, the Long March 2F Yao 15 carrier rocket carrying the Shenzhou 15 manned spacecraft was ignited and launched at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. About 10 minutes later, the Shenzhou 15 manned spacecraft and the rocket were successfully launched. Separation, entering the predetermined orbit, the crew of the astronauts are in good condition, and the launch was a complete success.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Gang
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center is the birthplace of my country’s aerospace industry.
The Dongfeng Revolutionary Martyrs Cemetery, a few kilometers away from the manned space launch site, is buried with more than 700 martyrs who have dedicated themselves to China’s aerospace industry since the establishment of the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in 1958.
In the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, where missions are frequently launched, such a tradition has been maintained—before each major launch, the scientific and technological personnel of each test team will go to the Dongfeng Revolutionary Martyrs Cemetery to pay homage to the martyrs.
Here is the spiritual home of Chinese astronauts and the place where the space dream sets sail.
In April 1970, my country’s first artificial satellite flew into space from here, and the music of “Dongfanghong” resounded all over the world.
In November 1999, the Shenzhou-1 unmanned spacecraft set sail from here, opening the curtain of China’s manned spaceflight. Since the establishment and implementation of China’s manned spaceflight project in 1992, Chinese astronauts have completed the journey that developed countries took 30 to 40 years in just 7 years.
In the golden autumn of 2003, China’s first manned spaceflight mission was a complete success here, and China became the third country in the world capable of sending astronauts into space on its own.
From Shenzhou 5 in 2003 to Shenzhou 15 in 2022, Chinese astronauts have visited the sky ten times from here.
The glory and dream of setting sail from the Gobi Desert, rising from the depths of the mountains, and marching toward the sea of stars——In 1984, the Dongfanghong-2 experimental communication satellite was successfully launched at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center; in 2016, with Wenchang, Hainan, China The space launch site made its world debut, and the curtain of the space laboratory flight mission kicked off…
One after another, the dreams of flying towards the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation are flying far and wide.
On June 25, 2016, the Long March 7 launch vehicle was ignited at the Wenchang Space Launch Site in Hainan (composition photo).Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Gang
2016 is also the 60th anniversary of the establishment of China’s aerospace industry. On April 24 of this year, the theme of the first “China Aerospace Day” was “China’s Space Dream”.
The Chinese dream drives the aerospace dream, and the aerospace dream helps the Chinese dream.
Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Party Central Committee has attached great importance to and cared about the development of the aerospace industry, and incorporated the construction of a aerospace power into the overall planning of the great rejuvenation strategy of the Chinese nation. The construction of China’s space station has completed a “Chinese-style leap” through unremitting exploration and innovation——
Chinese astronauts have independently completed the entire process from design, manufacture to testing of the Chinese space station. For the first time, they achieved a 2-hour autonomous fast rendezvous and docking of a cargo spacecraft and set a world record. The time spent flying by astronauts increased from 15 days to half a year…
The construction of the space station is an important milestone in China’s aerospace industry and will make pioneering contributions to the peaceful use of space for mankind.
“From the launch of the Tianhe core module in April 2021 to the Shenzhou 15 mission, within 19 months, China’s manned spaceflight has intensively implemented 11 launches, 2 spacecraft returns, 7 astronauts out of the cabin, and 4 flights. A crew of 12 astronauts continued to stay in orbit, and the assembly and construction of the basic ‘T’ configuration of the space station was completed on schedule. The whole process was linked together and completed in one go. With strong strength, it has run out of the acceleration of China’s aerospace development in the new era.” On November 28, 2022, Ji Qiming, the spokesperson of China’s manned spaceflight engineering and the assistant to the director of China’s manned spaceflight engineering office, made a manned flight on Shenzhou 15 Introduced at the mission press conference.
This is the height and miracle of China written by Chinese astronauts in the new era on the road of pursuing their dreams.
On April 24, 1970, my country successfully launched the first artificial satellite “Dongfanghong-1” with the Long March-1 carrier rocket (data photo).Xinhua News Agency
Today, with the successful flight of Shenzhou 15, Chinese astronauts have reached a new historical starting point on their long journey to the stars and sea.
Today, toward the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, Chinese astronauts set off again with their dreams, and will forge ahead on the road of flying to the sky and write new glory.
On November 20, 1999, Shenzhou-1, China’s first manned spaceflight experimental spacecraft, was launched at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.Xinhua News Agency