On this day, 26 November 1975, China successfully launched their first recoverable satellite, Fanhui Shi Weixing 0 No. 1 (FSW 0 No.1), also known as Jianbing -1 -1 satellite, from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, Gansu.
With this achievement, China became the third nation, after the United States and the former Soviet Union, to have achieved that feat. This initial success with FSW-0 No. 1 paved the way forward in the Chinese space program, including several recoverable satellite missions, including FSW-1, FSW-2, FSW-3… Each improved upon the technology and capabilities, which laid out the basis for the further advancement of the Chinese Space Program.
