China's rocket launch is building on space programme with staggering ambition

Seeing a rocket launch to space is not just something you watch but something you feel.

Even from some distance away, the impact is immense, you can feel the reverberations in your chest and you cannot hear the person next to you.

It's hard not to be impressed.

For the hundreds of Chinese people who had gathered to watch the Shenzhou-20 crew launch, they were not just impressed but gleeful too. There was a deafening hush as the countdown began, followed by screams of joy as it disappeared into the atmosphere.

Such is the sense of pride that China is showing the world what it can do.

Rocket launch as it happened

This launch might be relatively routine in space terms, three taikonauts (the Chinese term for astronaut) are headed to China's space station as part of a scheduled six-month rotation.

But it is all building on a space programme with staggering ambition, proceeding at a rapid pace.

It is quite a journey to get to the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre, deep into northern China's Gobi Desert.

We travelled three and a half hours by bus from the nearest town, mile upon mile of flat dusty desert, just the occasional settlement and military base on the way.

When there, the base is a huge facility, a fully functioning complex in the middle of the desert for space staff who live and work there, complete with a school, restaurants and even a gift shop.

We were bused around by our handlers from the Chinese government, closely managed throughout, and it was hard to break away from the schedule to interview people.

But it was easy to get a sense of just how proud people felt.

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'China is number one'

At the "farewell" ceremony, where the three-man crew waved goodbye to the crowds, you could just feel it.

People waved flowers and flags and sang national songs. "China is number one," screamed one man, "I'm so proud to have been born in China," enthused another woman.

Indeed it feels that space is a nationalistic endeavour, that their successes are also China's.

Escalating superpower race for results

They won't say it out loud here, but everyone knows the context: an escalating standoff with America, a superpower race for results.

China wants to be the next country to put a man on the moon and the first country to return samples from Mars, both feats the US is also actively pursuing.

All space programmes have other motives

China does have reason to feel confident. It has made huge gains in recent years, including the completion of its own space station, landing a rover on Mars and being the only nation to have returned samples from the far side of the moon.

While everyone we ask here insists there is no competition and all this is being done purely for the benefit of science and mankind, all space programmes have other quieter motives.

Dominance in space gives countries the edge in terms of military capabilities, communications and intelligence.

Indeed, just outside the base, a sign warns the public that "to keep secrets is glorious" and "if you sell secrets you could be executed".

World is watching China's surging progress

China almost certainly views the space race in these terms, particularly as a system that always views things through a long-term lens and in a world that's increasingly polarised.

While the US is still the most powerful country in space, China is closing the gap and the world is watching its surging progress.