<P> As the Space Race between the two superpowers reached its climax with the conquest of the Moon , Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai decided on July 14 , 1967 that the PRC should not be left behind , and therefore initiated China 's own crewed space program . The top - secret Project 714 aimed to put two people into space by 1973 with the Shuguang spacecraft . Nineteen PLAAF pilots were selected for this goal on March 1971 . The Shuguang - 1 spacecraft to be launched with the CZ - 2A rocket was designed to carry a crew of two . The program was officially cancelled on May 13 , 1972 for economic reasons , though the internal politics of the Cultural Revolution likely motivated the closure . </P>
<P> As the Space Race between the two superpowers reached its climax with the conquest of the Moon , Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai decided on July 14 , 1967 that the PRC should not be left behind , and therefore initiated China 's own crewed space program . The top - secret Project 714 aimed to put two people into space by 1973 with the Shuguang spacecraft . Nineteen PLAAF pilots were selected for this goal on March 1971 . The Shuguang - 1 spacecraft to be launched with the CZ - 2A rocket was designed to carry a crew of two . The program was officially cancelled on May 13 , 1972 for economic reasons , though the internal politics of the Cultural Revolution likely motivated the closure . </P>
in what year did china launch its first manned satellite
in what year did china launch its first manned satellite
1973
1973