Beijing:
China on Thursday launched an experimental module to lay the groundwork for a future space station, underscoring its ambitions to become a major space power.
The Tiangong-1 module was shot into space from the Jiuquan launch centre on the edge of the Gobi Desert, aboard a Long March 2FT1 rocket.
Both President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao were at the launch.
After moving the module into orbit, China plans to launch an unmanned Shenzhou 8 spacecraft to practice docking manoeuvres, possibly within the next few weeks.
Two more missions, at least one of them manned, are to meet up with the Tiangong-1 next year for further practice, with astronauts - or taikonauts as they're known in China - staying for up to one month.
The 8.5-ton module, whose name translates as "Heavenly Palace-1", is to stay aloft for two years, after which two other experimental modules are to be launched for additional tests before the actual station is launched in three sections between 2020 and 2022.
The space station, which is yet to be formally named, is the most ambitious project in China's exploration of space, which also calls for landing on the moon, possibly with astronauts.
China launched its first manned flight in 2003, joining Russia and the United States as the only countries to launch humans into orbit and generating huge amounts of national pride for the Communist government.
However, habitual secrecy and the space programme's close links with the military have inhibited cooperation with other nations' space programmes - including the International Space Station.
At about 60 tons when completed, the Chinese station will be considerably smaller than the 16-nation ISS, which is expected to continue operating through 2028.
China applied repeatedly to join the ISS, but was rebuffed largely on objections from the US, prompting it to adopt a go-it-alone strategy.
While the programme has proceeded with no apparent major problems, the launch of the Tiangong-1 module was delayed for one year for technical reasons, and then rescheduled again after a Long March 2C rocket similar to the Long March 2F failed to reach orbit in August.
The incident with the rocket was investigated and problems reportedly were resolved.