The long-anticipated launch of China鈥檚 first astronaut on Wednesday was greeted with a mixed, though largely congratulatory, reaction.
Unsurprisingly, Chinese President Hu Jintao described the launch as 鈥渁n honour for our great motherland 鈥� and a historic step taken by the Chinese people in their endeavour to surmount the peak of the world鈥檚 science and technology鈥�, according to official news agency Xinhua.
In the US, NASA administrator Sean O鈥橩eefe called it 鈥渁n important achievement in the history of human exploration鈥�. And the European Space Agency鈥檚 director general Jean-Jacques Dordain said: 鈥淭his mission could open up a new era of wider cooperation in the world鈥檚 space community.鈥�
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But other statements from China fed some analysts鈥� concerns that its human spaceflight program is closely linked to the nation鈥檚 attempts to develop advanced military technology.
In one of his first communications from space, China鈥檚 first astronaut Lieutenant Colonel Yang Liwei, seemed to place allegiance to the military ahead of the nation: 鈥淚 will gain honor for the People鈥檚 Liberation Army and for the Chinese nation,鈥� he said, according to Xinhua. Before the launch, President Hu described Yang as a 鈥渨arrior鈥�, while asking him to be cool-headed and courageous.
鈥淟ate Creep Forward鈥�
Many initial reactions reported around the world reflected praise and respect for the rapid progress of China鈥檚 space technology. But in India, an editorial in the largest newspaper, The Times of India, was openly scornful of the feat. It called the launch a 鈥淟ate Creep Forward鈥� representing only old technology 鈥� a mocking reference to Mao Zedong鈥檚 ill-fated Great Leap Forward in 1960.
Others took it as quite the opposite, a warning that the US and other nations could be close to losing the advantage they have long had in space technology.
Rick Tumlinson, president of the Space Frontier Foundation which advocates the rapid development of inexpensive launch vehicles for space tourism, said on Tuesday: 鈥淏y now, access to space should be routine, with re-usable spaceceships operating like airliners did 40 years after the Wright brothers.鈥�
He believes the Chinese launch should serve as a wake-up call as to the need to unleash the power of competition and ingenuity to bring about a new generation of space vehicles.
Joan Johnson-Freese, an analyst at the US Naval War College, told CNN that the Chinese launch 鈥渃ould be Sputnik all over again鈥�, triggering a new space race just as the USSR鈥檚 first satellite started the first one. 鈥淭he US could be beginning to cede its leadership in manned space,鈥� she said.