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China's first manned space flight ends in success, (Dominionization) (with Photo)

China's first manned space flight ends in success

BEIJING, Oct 16 (Reuters) - China's first man in space returnedsafely to Earth on Thursday, capping the country's bid to join the former Soviet Union and the United States in the exclusive club of nations that have conquered space.

Suspended by a giant parachute, the space capsule carrying "taikonaut" Yang Liwei touched down in the grasslands of Inner Mongolia at around 6.23 a.m. (2223 GMT on Wednesday) after a 21-hour odyssey that took him around the world 14 times.

Premier Wen Jiabao congratulated Yang, 38, moments after the capsule touched down. He emerged about 15 minutes later, waving and looking weary.

Yang's return marked a triumphant finish to China's maiden space voyage that came four decades after Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin and American astronaut Alan Shepard, also 38, pioneered manned space flight in 1961.

The mission marked the crowning moment for a space programme launched by Mao Zedong in 1958 but quickly left far behind in the Cold War "space race" rivalry that saw the United States put a man on the moon in 1969.

A year later, China launched its first satellite aboard a Long March rocket, which orbited the Earth blaring out the Cultural Revolution anthem "The East is Red."

"Our space hero Yang Liwei walked out of capsule himself," mission commander Li Jinai was quoted by Xinhua as saying. "Our country's first manned space flight achieved complete success."

In a mission that appeared to run like clockwork, a Long March 2F China lifted off into a clear blue sky over the Gobi desert at 9 a.m. (0100 GMT) on Wednesday and entered its predetermined orbit 10 minutes later.

"I FEEL GOOD"

Yang punctuated his journey with regular updates on his condition -- variations of "I feel good," the last coming as the capsule floated to the ground after re-entry.

He spoke to his wife as the Shenzhou V, or "Divine Ship V," started its eighth circuit around the Earth, assuring her from space: "I feel very good, don't worry."

Yang, a lieutenant-colonel in the People's Liberation Army, was chosen from a pool of 14 contenders. He is the son of a teacher and an official at an agricultural firm and was raised in the northeast "rustbelt" province of Liaoning.

State media said Yang's capsule was supplied with a gun, a knife and tent in case he landed in the wrong place.

The launch highlighted the emerging power of China, a permanent U.N. Security Council member now pursuing more active diplomacy, one of the world's fastest growing economies and chosen host of the 2008 Olympics.

Accolades poured in on Wednesday after China successfully put Yang orbit. In the United States, NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe described the launch as an important achievement.

U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan added his congratulations, noting "as the exploration of space knows no national borders, the mission of the Shenzhou V is a step forward for all humankind."

In the middle of the more than 600,000-km (372,800-mile) journey, state television broadcast footage of Yang waving small Chinese and U.N. flags inside his capsule.

Crew members set to blast off to the International Space Station called China a serious contender in the race for supremacy in space.

"Do I see China as a potential rival? Yes, not only in space, but already commercially, economically. I think militarily it's also a possibility," U.S. astronaut Michael Foale, commander of Expedition 8 to the ISS, told Reuters.

A tight veil of secrecy has blanketed the space programme. State controlled television delayed broadcasts of the launch and reentry -- airing footage only after the mission had been declared a success.

10/15/03 19:58 ET

'I feel good...see you tomorrow.' - China's 'taikonaut' Yang Liwei's first words from space, 34 minutes after lift-off

Wed Oct 15