Two Chinese spacecraft accomplished the country's first docking early Thursday, Nov. 3 (Beijing time) silently coupling in space more than 343 km (213 miles) above Earth's surface.
Nearly two days after it was launched, the unmanned Shenzhou 8 docked with space lab module Tiangong-1 at 1:35 a.m. (12:35 p.m. CDT on Nov. 2).
The success of the docking procedure makes China the third country in the world, after the U.S. and Russia, to master the technique, moving the country one step closer to establishing its own space station.
President Hu Jintao, who is in France for the G-20 summit, sent a congratulatory message on the success of the country's first-ever space docking.
Other leaders, including members of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, watched the mission at the Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Center.
China is now equipped with the basic technology and capacity required for the construction of a space station, said Zhou Jianping, chief designer of China's manned space program.
"This will make it possible for China to carry out space exploration on a larger scale," he said.
"The capability increases China's ability to act independently in space, as well as its ability to cooperate with others," said Gregory Kulacki, senior analyst and China project manager at the global security program of the Union of Concerned Scientists, a nonprofit scientific advocacy group based in the United States.
"China's pursuit of an original solution to space docking, that is based on their understanding of the experience of other nations, could lead to innovations or experiences other space-faring nations could find useful," Kulacki said.
The world's first space docking was achieved in 1966, when the manned U.S. spacecraft Gemini 8 docked with an unmanned Agena Target Vehicle.
Forty-five (45) years later, the maneuver remains a technological challenge. Many of mankind's 300-plus attempts have been met with difficulties or resulted in failure.
"To link up two vehicles traveling at 7.8 km per second in orbit, with a margin of error of no more than 20 centimeters, is like 'finding a needle in a haystack'," Zhou said.
The Shenzhou-8 and Tiangong-1 will separate after flying together for 12 days, after which a second docking procedure will be conducted.