The dream of flying into outer space, cherished by the Chinese people for centuries, will soon come true. China launched its fourth unmanned spacecraft  "Shenzhou IV" on December 30 at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in Gansu Province. It was the 27th consecutive( )and successful launch of China - made rockets since October 1996. This launch has made it more realistic for China to send a person into space on its own following Russia and the USA. Qi Faren,leading designer of the spacecraft system, said all the functions   designed for manned flights have withstood  the test of three previous, successful launches and return landings of the "Shenzhou" spaceships. China launched the "Shenzhou I ", "Shenzhou II "and "Shenzhou III "spacecrafts in 1999,2001 and 2002 respectively. "Shouzhou IV" was to make it a more comfortable place in which astronauts can live and work. All parts of the application system for manned flight are aboard the "Shenzhou IV"craft in all test flights. China's manned flight programme began in 1992. A number of unmanned test flights will be launched before Chinese astronauts are sent into space. Leading scientists in charge of China's manned space programme said the successful launch of the "Shenzhou IV" laid a solid foundation for the country's future task of sending Chinese astronauts to outer space. The spacecraft returned to the earth on January 5, after completing seven experiments in space. Officials at the centre said that" Shenzhou V", a manned spacecraft, is expected to be launched later this year. .China's manned flight programme began in   _  .
1992 October 1996. 1999 January 2003