China established a space sta-tion to relay data from its space vehicles on May 1. The mission was accomplished by settling its first data relay satellite, Tianlian 1, at E.77 degrees over the equator.
The satellite blasted off on April 25 aboard a Long March-3C carrier rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan Province. It has carded out a series of operations including unfolding its solar sail, igniting its engine and changing its posi- tioning on four occasions.