Forty-two years after Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin pioneered manned space flight, China has joined the exclusive club of nations that has put a man into space. The successful launch of the Shenzhou 5 ("divine vessel") carrying "taikonaut" Yang Liwei is a milestone in China's space program. It is a boost to the nation's prestige, a boon for its commercial satellite program -- and a reminder of the potent technological and military capabilities that China can muster.

China's space program is not new. In fact, it is probably the oldest in the world. Gunpowder was invented in China and, according to legend, a Ming dynasty official named Wan Hu was the first man to try to make it to space: He tied himself to a chair with gunpowder-packed tubes attached. That effort ended in disaster. China resumed its space program a couple of centuries later, in 1958. In 1970, the country launched its first satellite, and at least 70 more have followed.

The manned program was dropped in the early 1980s because it was considered an indulgence in a country that had better ways to spend its scare investment resources. The program resumed in 1992. While much of the progress was the result of hard work and homegrown research, the Chinese had help from Russia. The Shenzhou is based on the three-seat Russian Soyuz design, although it has been extensively modified. This week's launch follows four test flights of unmanned Shenzhou capsules that began in 1999. The country's taikonauts -- derived from the Chinese word for space -- also underwent training in Russia.

While China was eager to trumpet its success, it was also worried about failure. That is understandable: A 1995 satellite launch ended in tragedy. Thus the world was told to expect a launch between Wednesday and Friday, and the mission details were omitted, including the name of the taikonaut. There was no live television coverage of the takeoff, which occurred early Wednesday morning. Ten minutes later Shenzhou entered its predetermined orbit and then held that position for 14 orbits, until it returned to Earth 21 hours later on Thursday morning.

China's accomplishments deserve applause. A manned space program requires mastery of technology and science. It is another sign of China's re-emergence as a great nation. This week's launch came right on the heels of the Third Plenary Session of the 16th Chinese Communist Party Central Committee, which concluded Tuesday afternoon. Some of the applause from the successful flight will also be directed toward the party leadership. And while the official statistics surrounding China's space program are shrouded in secrecy, the prestige attached to the success of the effort makes it worth the reputed annual $1 billion to $2.2 billion price tag.

The program produces other benefits as well. The successful launch helps promote China's reputation as a low-cost provider of satellite launch services, which is a much needed source of revenue. From January 1995 to June 2001, China held 5 percent of the commercial satellite launch market, and earned $500 million in revenue. This launch should spur more clients to consider the Chinese program.

China's commercial successes could have a downside for its neighbors: Advances in the civilian space effort cannot help contributing to a country's military program. It is no surprise, then, to discover that China's space program is under the direct control of the military. After all, the country's main long-range missile, the Long March, is pretty much interchangeable with its primary commercial launch vehicle. Money that helps support and sustain the civilian program is also honing its edge in missile technology.

Having put its first man into space, China is unlikely to stop here, but claims that China's success portends another space race are science fiction. The United States' space budget dwarfs that of China and it remains far ahead in its space program. Moreover, China has shown that it is going to proceed at its own pace, according to its own priorities.

Still, Chinese officials should be asking themselves whether a manned space program is the best use of their limited funds. That is no reflection on the Chinese effort: Americans and Russians are doing the same. While the value of space exploration is beyond challenge, manned flights are another matter. If governments are going to pursue this course, it is better that they do so together. Joint efforts represent more efficient uses of money; they ensure that the results are the shared heritage of all mankind; and, perhaps most important, they head off misguided attempts to nationalize -- or worse, militarize -- space.

Those concerns should not be used to detract from China's accomplishments this week. But they do give us reason to ponder the ultimate objective of our journeys into space.