April 24, 2018 - China Celebrates National Space Day Commemorating Its Space Program

On April 24, 2018, you'd have witnessed China celebrating National Space Day, a commemoration honoring nearly six decades of spaceflight achievements. The date connects directly to April 24, 1970, when China launched its first satellite, Dong Fang Hong 1, into orbit. The government officially designated April 24 as National Space Day in March 2016. If you're curious about the satellite's legacy, the astronaut recruitment expanding to Hong Kong and Macao, and China's ambitious 2030 lunar landing plans, there's much more to explore.

Key Takeaways

• April 24, 2018 was designated as National Space Day to commemorate China's space program and its contributions over 60 years.
• The date honors the launch of China's first satellite, Dong Fang Hong 1, on April 24, 1970.
• National Space Day was officially approved by the Chinese government in March 2016.
• Celebrations include nationwide events across 30+ provincial regions, featuring lectures, exhibitions, competitions, and open days.
• The day connects past space achievements with future ambitions while recognizing outstanding scientists, engineers, and teams.

Why Does China Celebrate Space Day on April 24?

By anchoring Space Day to this landmark event, China ensures you understand the deep connection between its past achievements and future ambitions.

The date drives public outreach through science exhibitions, lectures, and competitions, helping you and fellow citizens appreciate space exploration's importance.

It also honors the contributors who dedicated 60 years to advancing China's space program, keeping their legacy alive while inspiring younger generations to pursue science and explore the unknown. China's celebrations include over 400 nationwide activities, with academic conferences and seminars serving as key components of the annual program.

The day also serves as a major platform for announcing significant developments, with events like the 2016 Beijing celebration marking the official approval of China's Mars exploration mission. This spirit of ambition mirrors the broader history of space-based observation, which gained momentum during the Cold War era when competing superpowers poured resources into satellite technology and orbital research.

How Dong Fang Hong 1 Put China Space Day on the Calendar

On April 24, 1970, at 13:35:45 GMT, China's Long March 1 rocket lifted Dong Fang Hong 1 into orbit from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, making China the fifth nation to independently launch a satellite.

The satellite's DongFang Origins trace back to November 1966, when Qian Xuesen directed development under the "Two Bombs, One Satellite" program despite Cultural Revolution disruptions.

Weighing 173 kg, it exceeded the combined masses of the first satellites from the USSR, USA, France, and Japan.

Its Launch Legacy includes broadcasting the "Dong Fang Hong" anthem for 20 days and transmitting signals until May 14, 1970. The satellite itself was a 72-faced polyhedron approximately 1 meter in diameter, spin-stabilized at 120 revolutions per minute.

To ensure mission success, program planners constructed five identical satellites, with the remaining four serving as backups in the event of a launch failure.

That historic achievement prompted China's government to designate April 24 as National Space Day in March 2016, cementing the date's permanent place in China's calendar. Today, China's space ambitions continue to evolve alongside a rapidly expanding commercial space station market projected to reach nearly $12.93 billion by 2030.

How China Celebrates National Space Day Across the Country

Each year, China transforms April 24 into a nationwide celebration, with over 30 provincial-level regions hosting public lectures, knowledge contests, open days, and seminars.

Cities like Shanghai alone run more than 40 activities, spanning conferences, forums, exhibitions, and technical exchanges.

You'll find community outreach efforts bringing space science directly to everyday citizens, while school programs spark curiosity among younger generations about exploration and innovation.

Main celebrations center in Chengdu, Sichuan province, co-hosted by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, CNSA, and the Sichuan government.

Opening ceremonies feature updates on major programs like deep-space exploration and Chang'e-5 lunar samples, alongside awards for outstanding scientists, engineers, and teams.

These events collectively build public enthusiasm and reinforce China's commitment to advancing its space ambitions nationally. The 11th China Space Day also marked a significant scientific milestone, as two previously unknown lunar minerals identified from Chang'e-5 samples received official approval and classification from the International Mineralogical Association.

The 2025 China Space Day held in Shanghai provided a platform for the Space for Climate Observatory, an international network of 53 signatories supporting over 110 operational projects worldwide dedicated to climate resilience through Earth observation. As commercial space activity accelerates globally, discussions at such events increasingly reference developments like Axiom Space's work toward low-Earth orbit commercialization, reflecting how national space days serve as forums for broader industry dialogue.

How China Is Recruiting Astronauts and Building Lunar Landers

China's astronaut program has come a long way since 1998, when selectors combed through 1,506 fighter jet pilots to handpick just 14 candidates for the Shenzhou missions.

By 2010, they'd expanded their pilot pipelines to include female transport pilots, adding seven new astronauts.

The 2018 third group broadened recruitment further, pulling engineers and payload specialists from universities and research institutions alongside PLA Air Force pilots.

In June 2024, China selected 10 more astronauts, including the first from Hong Kong and Macao, training them specifically for space station operations and lunar landers.

You can also expect international astronauts to join Tiangong missions soon, as China's actively recruiting foreign candidates. Selected candidates will undergo extensive training in China, with Chinese language skills identified as one of the most important criteria for participation.

These expanding selections reflect China's ambition to land humans on the Moon. The roots of this program trace back to the 507 Institute, established on 1 April 1968, which laid the foundation for all Chinese human spaceflight research and astronaut training.

China's Lunar Missions, Commercial Space, and the Road Ahead

Those expanding astronaut selections aren't happening in a vacuum — they're tied directly to China's most ambitious lunar program yet. China's phased approach has already delivered historic milestones: Chang'e 4's far-side landing, Chang'e 5's sample return, and Chang'e 6's far-side sample collection from Apollo Basin in 2024.

You can see the momentum building toward a two-astronaut landing by 2030 using the Mengzhou spacecraft and Lanyue lander. Supporting infrastructure like Queqiao relay satellites keeps far-side communications active. Just as J.A.D. McCurdy's Silver Dart flight marked a foundational moment for Canadian aviation in 1909, China's successive milestones are laying the groundwork for a sustained human presence beyond Earth.

Looking ahead, China's integrating commercial launchpads and private lunarports into its broader space economy, ensuring the state program doesn't carry every burden alone. The ultimate goal is a sustained south pole research station, positioning China as a permanent force in deep space exploration. Chang'e 8, expected in 2028, will specifically test in-situ resource utilization and 3D-printing technologies to prepare for that crewed future.

In 2025, key hardware milestones have validated the architecture, including a successful pad-abort test of Mengzhou in June and a simulated takeoff and landing of the Lanyue lander in August, alongside a Long March-10 first-stage static fire that achieved nearly 1,000 tons of thrust, a record for China's space program.