Today, People's Daily publishes an editorial titled "Great Milestone in Scientific Exploration" in congratulations on the complete success of China's Shenzhou-6 manned spaceship flight. Full text follows:

In October the whole nation is again in great rejoicing, the complete success of the manned spacecraft flight has focused world attention. Shenzhou-6 manned spaceship flight has again been crowned with complete success following the success of the first manned spacecraft flight of Shenzhou-5 two years ago. This magnificent feat has once again shown to the world's people that the Chinese people have the aspiration, confidence and capability to keep scaling scientific and technological heights. Here we extend our warm congratulations to the broad masses of scientific and technological workers, cadres and staff members and officers and men of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) who have made outstanding contributions to China's manned aerospace industry, our sincere solicitude for the heroic astronauts and our high tributes to Chinese sons and daughters who have all been working hard for and dedicating themselves to the aerospace undertaking!

The dream of flying to the space has been a thousand-year-old wish. China's manned spaceship flights have advanced from "one person, one day" to "two persons, five days", and the complete success of Shenzhou-6 manned spacecraft flight marks the major progress China has made in the great journey of the exploration of outer space. This marks a new, great milestone in China's high-tech development, and represents another remarkable accomplishment in China's reform and opening-up program and the drive for socialist modernization, and another brilliant achievement in the Chinese people's continual self-improvement and independent innovation. All Chinese people are infinitely proud of and take pride in this.

The central authorities' decision is deep and farsighted and news of successes gained in the aerospace undertaking keeps pouring in. From the successful development of "atom and hydrogen bombs and man-made earth satellite" to the smooth realization of manned spaceship flights, several generations of collective leaderships of the Party Central Committee have shown great farsightedness and correctly appraised the situation, and regarded the development of the aerospace undertaking as an important strategic decision on making the country strong and prosperous and have thrown tremendous energy into this great cause. In implementing the project of manned spacecraft flight over the past decade and more and, under the correct leadership of the Party Central Committee, the State Council and the Central Military Commission, China has given full play to the tremendous superiority of the socialist system for concentrating energy on running important undertakings and have made constant breakthroughs of landmark significance in the manned spacecraft project, which has given great impetus to the enhancement of strengths of China's economy, science and technology and national defense and to national cohesive force.

The manned spacecraft project is an arduous and long-term task, heroic scientific and technological model workers have been advancing wave upon wave. Aerospace workers participating in this great cause bear the great trust firmly in mind, work for the country heart and soul, exert themselves to make the country prosperous and rouse themselves to make progress, they have thus made breakthroughs in the technology of manned spacecraft flight in a short span of 11 years and have recorded in two years major development that serves as a link between past and future. They have not only created extraordinary achievements in history, but have also forged the manned spaceship flight spirit featuring their special capability to endure hardships, combat, tackle key problems and make dedications. This represents the promotion and development of the spirit of "atom and hydrogen bombs and man-made earth satellite" in the new historical period, and is a vivid expression of the great national spirit with patriotism as the core, which deserves our effort to learn from it and carry it forward.

Scientific exploration knows no bounds, and autonomous innovation is a good plan that means gaining a decisive victory a thousand miles away. Manned spaceship flight is one of the most challenging areas in high and new technology in today's world, from Shenzhou-5 to Shenzhou-6 and through self reliance and self-innovation, China has taken an important step forward in the development of manned aerospace technology, and has broken through a group of core technologies in autonomous intellectual property rights, it has reached the world's advanced level in some important technical fields, and has trained and brought up a large number of highly competent people who can stand in the forefront of world technology and dare to make innovations. We must make great efforts to carry out the strategy of building up our country through science and education, adhere to the principle of making independent innovations, dare to stand in the forefront of world science and technology and inject strong power into the Chinese cause of reform, opening up and socialist modernization drive.

The boundless outer space is the common wealth of humanity. China's engagement in space scientific experiments and technical tests is entirely out of peaceful purpose, it also represents a contribution to the science of humanity and to the cause of peace. The successful realization of Shenzhou-6 manned spaceship flight fully demonstrates the Chinese people's strong determination to peacefully use space resources and opens up a broad prospect for the aerospace undertaking of China and the world at large. China is willing to advance hand in hand with the people of the world in making peaceful use of the outer space, always stick to the correct direction in the peaceful development and utilization of outer space and continue to make new breakthroughs in manned space technology, and make our due contributions to the noble cause of constantly promoting scientific and technological progress of mankind and propelling the peaceful development of the world.

Soon after the successful close of the Fifth Plenum of the 16th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the spread of the good news about the complete success of the Shenzhou-6 manned spacecraft flight will greatly inspire the spirit of Chinese space workers to continue to scale new heights and immensely encourage the lofty ideals and aspirations of the people of all Chinese ethnic groups to build a well-off society in an all-round way. We must vigorously carry forward the manned spaceship flight spirit, and transform the tremendous success of Shenzhou-6 manned spacecraft flight into a powerful dynamic pushing forward reform, opening up and socialist modernization program. Let's hold high the great banner of Deng Xiaoping Theory and the "three represents" important thought, rally closely round the Party Central Committee with Comrade Hu Jintao as the general secretary, comprehensively implement the scientific concept of development, promote the coordinated development of economy and society and write a new chapter on China's aerospace industry and the scientific and technological undertaking, and work untiringly for the realization of magnificent goal of building a well-off society in an all-round manner and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

By People's Daily Online