China sparks off a 21st century space race.

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SYDNEY, 25 August 2006: China was the third country to put a man in space, but it's teaming up with Russia to kick off the race for Mars.

Ye Peijian, of the Chinese Research Institute of Space Technology, said Russia will launch the spacecraft in 2009 with Chinese-made survey equipment.

The joint mission to Mars aims to land on one of Earth's moons and bring back samples to Earth, according to China's Xinhua new agency.

Sun Laiyan, of the China National Space Administration, said in June that China would focus on the Moon and Mars in its deep space exploration program over the next five years.

The program calls for stepping up international cooperation, he said.

"We will encourage other countries to take part in space science programs initiated by China, and Chinese scientists will participate in international space science programs," Sun said.

The Lunar Exploration Mission started by China in February 2004, also started research and development on the Chang'e lunar probe.

China had previously said it hopes to launch its first lunar exploration satellite next year, and aims to place an unmanned vehicle on the Moon by 2010.

In 2003 it successfully launched astronaut Yang Liwei into orbit, becoming the third country after the Soviet Union and the United States to put a man in space.

The announcement came at a surprise, as China's space program is usually kept secretive. The news came four hours after the success of the 21-hour flight Shenzhou was made public.

The previously miliary-linked space program has been renamed as the Chinese government has shifted to a more market-oriented economy. China National Space Administration (CNSA) and the China Aerospace Corporation (CASC), which was established in June 1993, now form the space program.

The director of CNSA, Luan Enjie told China Daily in July that the oscillating nature of China-U.S. relations and the fear on the U.S. side of leaking space knowledge have hindered planned meetings between the chiefs of the two space administrations.

According to Hindu News, Wang Yongzhi, former chief designer of China's manned-space project said at the forum held by the Chinese Academy of Engineering, that China will need to construct its own space station in the future.

China seeks access to the International Space Station (IIS), assuring the world it's space program is now longer driven by military agendas, The Independent reported in June.

The IIS was first launched in 1998, operating since then as a large, inhabited Earth satellite representing a collaborative effort by over 15 nations. Now NASA is investing in commercial space transportation services hoping to create space flights to the station.

"When the world looks back on the International Space Station, they will see one huge team accomplishing an incredible mission," said NASA Space Station Program Manager Tommy Holloway, according to the NASA website.

"And through integrity, trust and respecting people, no obstacle, whether technical or cultural, is preventing this world space flight team from achieving our goals," he said.

NASA also plans to plant more footprints on the Moon by 2020.

It was the international rivalry with the Soviet Union that propelled the race to space in the mid-20th century. The first era was characterized by its intense competition between the rival nations, but the 21st century version is more about international cooperation.

"We are now in a test to see whether humans can be motivated by a journey of exploration rather than a race, by international cooperation rather than competition. History will be watching," wrote Steven J. Dick in a series of essays on exploration by NASA's Chief Historian, posted on the NASA website.

But the competitive nature of race has not stopped. And it has become more complex with the introduction of new players in the game.

The start of China's space endeavours began in the space age too, on 8 October 1956, when it began its missile and rocket research. According to a white paper published in August 2004, the driving force for building the satellites have been for national defence purposes.