In the meantime, China is preparing to launch Tiangong-1 -- Mandarin for "heavenly palace" from the Gobi Desert on September 29 or 30th using a Chinese Long March 2F rocket. "The eight-ton module will serve as an orbital testbed for China to practice robotic rendezous and docking techniques, a necessary skill for the assembly and operation of the manned outpost China intends to build around 2020." according to reports.
Of course, China's track record with high technology has been a little up and down lately, such as news that China faked its news footage from space. Or else, when they borrowed footage from Top Gun to demonstrate a military drill.
It all raises interesting questions of what it would take for us to effectively develop our own space program. After all, we have our rocket festival. A little application and investment, and we can at least start making some headway before the end of this century. :)
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