Online exhibition to mark 50th anniversary of China's first satellite launch

BEIJING -- An online exhibition featuring nearly 50 items related to China's achievements in aerospace will open Friday to mark the 50th anniversary of the launch of Dongfanghong-1, the country's first satellite.

The exhibition, jointly held by the National Museum of China and the China Academy of Space Technology, covers a wide range of items including manuscripts, stamps, simulators and spacesuits, tracking the 50 years of aerospace progress from Dongfanghong-1 to the Chang'e lunar probe and the Shenzhou spacecraft.

The exhibition will also show a hand crank calculator used by nuclear physics expert Deng Jiaxian during the study and development of China's first atomic bomb, and the spacesuit of China's first astronaut Yang Liwei, who flew into space aboard the Shenzhou-5 spacecraft in 2003.

Viewers will be offered a new way to virtually explore space with models of satellites and rockets, and enjoy a 5G live broadcast of the exhibition.

Since 2016, China has set April 24 as the country's Space Day to mark the launch of Dongfanghong-1 into space on April 24, 1970.