On April 24, 1970, China became the fifth nation to independently launch a satellite into orbit.
Dong Fang Hong I was the first of a series of satellites the China National Space Administration launched under the Dong Fang Hong space satellite program. It lifted off on a Long March 1 rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.
Related: China’s Long March rocket family: History and photos
Related Stories:
The name “Dong Fang Hong” translates to “The East is Red.” This was also the name of a Chinese song glorifying Chairman Mao, and it was China’s unofficial national anthem during the communist revolution in the 1960s.
This song was broadcast from the satellite via a radio transmitter for 20 days. The success of Dong Fang Hong I made China the fifth nation to launch a satellite on a native rocket, following the Soviet Union, the U.S., France and Japan.
Catch up on our entire “On This Day In Space” series on YouTube with this playlist.
On This Day in Space Archive!
[embedded content]
Still not enough space? Don’t forget to check out our Space Image of the Day, and on the weekends our Best Space Photos and Top Space News Stories of the week.
Follow us @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
