Published : 2025-11-16

On 16 November 1957, the First Branch of the Fifth Academy of the Ministry of National Defence was established.

It was the predecessor of the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), and also the starting point and cradle of China's space programme. The first president of the Fifth Academy of the Ministry of National Defence was the renowned scientist Qian Xuesen (錢學森).

Now affiliated with the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), the CALT is China's largest research, development and production base of missile weapon and carrier rocket, hailed as the birthplace of China's aerospace industry.

As China's first aerospace research and development base, the CALT has had numerous achievements, including creating China's first missile "1059", later known as "Dongfeng-1" (東風1號), completing China's first "two bombs" integration mission, and launching China's first artificial Earth satellite, achieving the "one satellite" enterprise.

In addition, the CALT has also successfully developed multiple models of the Long March series of carrier rockets, possessing the capability of launching payloads into various orbits such as low Earth orbit, sun-synchronous orbit and geostationary orbit.

It has also implemented major projects such as the Manned Space Programme, the Lunar Exploration Programme and the BeiDou project, making tremendous contributions to China's space programme.

At the same time, the CALT has also cultivated and produced a large number of leading figures in China's space programme, including six meritorious scientists of the "Two Bombs and One Satellite" project, 31 academicians both the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), two winners of the State Pre-eminent Science and Technology Award, and two recipients of the "Great Nation's Craftsman" title.

It is thus hailed as the "Whampoa Military Academy" for high-tech aerospace talent and management personnel.