China is starting work on a satellite to orbit the moon by 2007 and plans to land a lunar probe by 2010, a space official said in Beijing today.

China today announced plans to send two more astronauts into orbit within the next two years on the country’s second manned mission.

The fighter pilot who made China’s first trip into space last week has been promoted, amid efforts by the communist government to build Lt Col Yang Liwei into a national hero.

With its astronaut back home and healthy, the orbital capsule that made China’s first manned space mission a success began its own physical examination today – an exhaustive, part-by-part check-up to determine if everything worked according to plan.

China’s first astronaut in space returned safely to Earth today when his craft touched down as planned after 21 hours in orbit. Beijing’s mission control declared the country’s landmark debut flight “a success”.

China launched its first manned space mission today, sending an astronaut hurtling into orbit and becoming the third country in Earth’s history to do so - four decades after the Soviet Union and the US.