China successfully completed its second manned space mission with the safe landing of the Shenzhou 6 crew capsule in Inner Mongolia on 17 October 2005. The success of this five-day mission is the latest chapter in China's ambitious drive to become a global space power.

This mission took off exactly two years after the first Chinese manned space mission in 2003, making it the third country to put a man in space after America and Russia. The Communist government has attached enormous national prestige to its space programme, which is probably closely linked to its secretive military programme. This space capsule took-off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on a 19-story Long March 2F rocket. Long March booster is China's old warhorse and this was the 88th flight of a rocket from the Long March family. China's rocket programme dates back to the 1950s and shot its first satellite into orbit in 1970. It regularly launches satellites for foreign clients aboard its giant Long March boosters.

China's first manned flight in 2003 had carried one astronaut and the capsule had orbited the Earth for little more than 21 hours. This time China sent a two-member team, which performed a series of experiments to advance their understanding of human space flight. The Shenzhou capsule (meaning Divine Vessel) is designed on the lines of Russia's three-seat Soyuz capsule with certain modifications. Other associated gadgets like space suits; life-support systems, etc are closely linked to Russian technology.

The Shenzhou 6 reportedly carried a series of advancements of its Shenzhou 5 predecessor, including a food heater, dishwasher and space toilet. Sleeping bags and a new data recorder (spacecraft black box) were tested for their space worthiness. During the flight, the astronauts had taken off their space suits and travelled back and forth between the two parts of the spacecraft - a re-entry capsule and an orbiter. However, as planned earlier, they did not carry any seeds along with them to study the impact of radiation on them.

Astronauts onboard the Shenzhou 6 adjusted its trajectory after it started moving too close to the Earth. This was the only problem the mission encountered during its five-day mission to space. This happened due to the Earth's gravitational pull during the craft's 30th orbit of the Earth. The adjustment carried out by firing the craft's thrusters altered the spacecraft's altitude by 800m. Experts are of the opinion that such adjustments are routine. The Chinese government was very confident of the success of this mission; hence, a direct broadcast of the launch was telecast on Chinese television for the first time. However, at the same time the Chinese authorities were fully prepared to stop photo publicity of the event in case of any failures during the launch. The photographers were previously instructed that in case of any mishap, the photos of the event would be confiscated. In addition, a documentary about failed space missions by other countries was kept ready for telecast just in case the launch does not succeed.

Immediately after the successful return of this flight, China declared that the next manned mission to space would be in the year 2007. China also plans to send a woman to space and wants to land an unmanned probe on the moon by 2010 and build a space station as well. It is argued by a few that manned space programmes appeals to nationalist sentiment, thus helping the Communist Party to shore up its public standing amid widespread frustration over corruption and a growing gulf between the country's economic elite and the poor. Officially, Chinese authorities claim that their space programme is only meant for civilian purposes.

However, it would be incorrect to take China's space ambitions at its face value. For years, China has invested in space technologies for multiple purposes. China is developing its space technology for rapid deployment and replacement of telecommunication, imaging and positioning satellites. It is also concentrating on ballistic missile technologies, micro-satellite and anti-satellite weapon technologies. It is speculated that the planned Chinese space station is expected to serve as repair base for military satellites. Today, China may not be anywhere close to the United States' space capabilities. But, these events imply that the United States can no longer claim that it is the only space superpower. The Chinese are posing a serious challenge to the US' space supremacy and are sending a message to countries like India and Japan about their supremacy in space technology.