As the three-member Shenzhou-17 crew heads to the Tiangong Space Station on Thursday, China also marks 20 years since it launched its first astronaut into space. As the anniversary is celebrated, the country is pushing ahead with plans for more ambitious goals. Sun Ye has more on that first journey.

SUN YE Jiuquan, Gansu Province "Twenty years ago, on October 15th, 2003, this was the starting point of an historic journey for China's first man in space, Yang Liwei."

YANG LIWEI First Taikonaut in Space "Every moment has been unforgettable, including the tremors I felt during lift-off, the first ray of sunlight seen through the porthole, and the weightlessness experienced when the rocket and spacecraft separated – the moment I truly entered space."

The historic journey took place in China's signature Shenzhou spaceship.

QI FAREN Academician, Chinese Academy of Engineering First Chief Designer of the Shenzhou Spaceship "I accepted the assignment with the promise to Yang Liwei that he would return safely. It was a momentous responsibility. I was confident in this assurance because of the thorough ground testing we had conducted."

Since that groundbreaking journey, China has made huge strides in space exploration.

The Shenzhou 17 mission is the second manned mission since China Space Station entered long-term operation.

QI FAREN Academician, Chinese Academy of Engineering First Chief Designer of the Shenzhou Spaceship "In the near future, we will continue to enhance our space station. Our plans include sending taikonauts to the moon and further exploration of the universe, including a closer examination of our solar system."

China has said it would land taikonauts on the moon before 2030.

And Yang recently revealed these moon-landing taikonauts will be selected from individuals with prior space flight experience.

SUN YE Jiuquan, Gansu Province "And until then, all taikonauts embarking on space missions will continue to start their journeys from here, just as Yang Liwei did two decades ago. SY, CGTN, Jiuquan."