China launched its first privately developed rocket on Thursday, the latest milestone in its ambitious space exploration program.
Since coming to office in 2012, President Xi Jinping has made becoming a "space flight superpower" a top priority for the Chinese government, which has a goal of sending a permanent manned space station into orbit by around 2022.
The launch of the Chongqing Liangjiang Star rocket, developed by OneSpace Technology, a Beijing-based private firm, marks the first time a private Chinese rocket has successfully entered orbit, the official Xinhua News Agency said.