On April 24, 1970, China became the fifth nation to independently launch a satellite into orbit.
Dong Fang Hong I was the first of a series of satellites China launched under the Dong Fang Hong space satellite program.
It lifted off on a Long March I rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.
The name Dong Fang Hong translates to The East is Red.
This was also the name of a Chinese song glorifying Chairman Mao, and it was China’s unofficial national anthem during the communist revolution in the 1960s.
Source: https://www.space.com/39251-on-this-day-in-space.html
