April 24th, 2020 marks the 50th-anniversary launch of the Chinese DFH-1 satellite. DFG-1 successfully launched on April 24, 1970, ushering China into the elite group of nations capable of developing and launching satellites into space. Although many nations in present times have satellites, China became the fifth nation to indigenously do it with the launch of the Long March 1 rocket.
How did China become the 5th nation to develop and launch its satellite?
A side story that helped shape China’s Space Program.
First Satellite DFH-1 on April 24, 1970
Sputnik shocked the world. The event spurred on America to focus efforts and catch up with the USSR. In the east, Chairman Mao Zedong also urged China forward. In 1958, Chairman Mao stated that “we too should produce man-made satellites”. The Chinese Academy of Sciences formed a small task group, code-named 581, to come up with a proposal to develop an artificial satellite.
Sputnik may have shocked the world, but the US fear of communism after World War II possibly helped China more. A pivotal scientist for the development of the Chinese space program included Qian Xuesen, (Chinese: 钱学森; 11 December 1911 – 31 October 2009).
In August 1935, Qian left China to study mechanical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Qian earned a Master of Science degree after one year. Theodore von Kármán became Qian’s doctoral advisor. Tsien received his Ph.D. from Caltech in 1939.
Qian became a prevalent member of the US scientific community. Qian contributed to the Manhattan Project, which led to America successfully developing the first atomic bomb. Qian, along with other graduate students, experimented with liquid-fueled rockets leading to the establishment of the name Jet Propulsion Laboratory. In 1945, as a US Army colonel, Tsien went to Germany to investigate laboratories and question German scientists, including Wernher von Braun.
So what happened? McCarthyism.
The red scare happened. Although Qian made significant contributions to the field of aerodynamics and supported several key US projects, the fear of communism ran rampant in the United States after the end of WWII. In 1947, US President Truman signed an executive order mandating screening of federal employees. The screening looked for association with organizations deemed “totalitarian, fascist, communist, or subversive”, or advocating “to alter the form of Government of the United States by unconstitutional means.”
Embed from Getty ImagesThis gave rise to McCarthyism, the practice of making accusations of subversion or treason without proper regard for evidence or due process. The term’s namesake refers to U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy (R-Wisconsin) who infamously lead a witch hunt for communists lasting from the late 1940s through the 1950s
In the backdrop of this environment, Qian returned to China and married in Shanghai. After his marriage, Qian returned to America to take up a teaching position at MIT. His wife, Jiang Ying, joined him in December 1947 and began raising their family. In 1949, with the recommendation of von Kármán, Qian became a professor Robert H. Goddard Professor of Jet Propulsion at Caltech. (Reference for Jet Propulsion Lab)
In 1950, the US government accused Qian of harboring Communist sympathies and stripped of his security clearance. No solid evidence surfaced to substantiate the allegations, however, the Immigration and Naturalization Service placed him under a delayed deportation order. Qian and his family lived under house arrest waiting for deportment for five years. Qian returned to China and resumed his work becoming the “father” of Chinese rockets…
As the US and Russian Raced, China gradually gained ability.
As the United States and USSR were locked in a race to the Moon, China busily prepared for the debut launch of their Long March rocket and first indigenous satellite. Although the UK, Canada, Italy, and Australia all had satellites, those satellites were launched using US-designed rockets.
Four nations launched satellites into space before China. The Chinese spacecraft weighed in heavier than all the combined weights of the first satellites of the United States, Soviet Union, United Kingdom, and France. With a mass of 173 kg, the DFH-1 weighed in as the heaviest satellite inaugural launch of any country to date. (Excludes countries that formed from the former USSR) Dong Fang Hong 1 satellite abbreviates to DFH-1.
The Chinese satellite settled into a 441 x 2286 km orbit inclined at 68.4 deg. The more massive DFH-1 severed as a demonstration for various technologies. The satellite transmitted the song communist patriotic song “Dong Fang Hong” as well as announcing the time. The Dong Fang Hong translates into the East is Red and paid tribute to Chairman Mao.
Additional DFH-1 notable details:
- 1st Chinese communications satellite
- Contained a radio transmitter
- first Chinese experimental satellite launched
- the first successful satellite launched by an LM-1 booster
During the 30th anniversary of its first space launch, China hosted a variety of activities to honor the event. Various celebrations were held to commemorate the anniversary, including Internet chat with space specialists. A committee of academics from the two Chinese academies of sciences and engineering recognized the launch of the first satellite, Dongfanghong-1 (DFH-1), as the most important event in the first 30 years of the Chinese space program.
Leading up to the launch.
“A Plan for the Development of China’s Artificial Satellites”, received a review in the State Council meeting and code-named the project 651.
The State Council approved the plan and decided that DFH-1 would be a science exploration test satellite which would include transmission of radio signals. The radio signal, of course, would share a patriotic message of China. The research and development of the DFH-1 satellite and its launch rocket Changzheng-1 began in November 1966.
China decided to the upper stage of the rocket would remain in orbit along with the satellite. To make the rocket stage visible to the naked eye from Earth, an “observation skirt” added reflectivity.
The historic launch came at 9:35 p.m. local time (13:35 UTC). The countdown began with high expectations. Upon hearing the command “ignition”, a launch controller pressed a button to start the rocket engines roaring. The three-stage CZ-1, which measured 29.46 meters tall and had a diameter of 2.25 meters, lifted off the launch pad with a thrust of 104 tonnes. The 81.5 ton CZ-1 rocket soared into space.
Reaching orbit
Thirteen minutes later, mission control announced: “satellite and rocket stage separation, satellite enters orbit”. China officially became the fifth nation after the former Soviet Union, the United States, France, and Japan to achieve its launching capability. The combined mass of liftoff of all prior first success did not add up to the mass of the DFH-1 satellite. No first launch of a country to date exceeded the mass of China’s first satellite launch.
The 173 Kg spherical shaped satellite settled into a stable orbit and began to spin. The spin helped stabilize DFH-1. To this day, the DFH-1 along with the upper stage booster circles the Earth once every 114 minutes.
The United States still tracks the now-defunct satellite and booster. The U.S. Space Command (USSPACECOM) catalog numbers 4382 and 4392 respectively. On a clear day and the right conditions, you can still see the CZ-1 third stage in orbit. Have you seen the CZ-1 upper stage? Has anyone been able to capture a picture of it? DFH-1 remains an artifact of the Cold War, but a symbol of what a nation can do to when setting their mind on a task.
About The Author
Bill D’Zio
Co-Founder at WestEastSpace.com
Bill founded WestEastSpace.com after returning to China in 2019 to be supportive of his wife’s career. Moving to China meant leaving the US rocket/launch industry behind, as the USA and China don’t see eye to eye on cooperation in space. Bill has an engineering degree and is an experienced leader of international cross-functional teams with experience in evaluating, optimizing and awarding sub-contracts for complex systems. Bill has worked with ASME Components, Instrumentation and Controls (I&C) for use in launch vehicles, satellites, aerospace nuclear, and industrial applications.
Bill provides consulting services for engineering, supply chain, and project management.
