The likely demise of Russia's Phobos-Grunt mission has dashed China's hopes for its first Mars orbiter, Yinghuo-1, which was piggybacking on the larger craft (see page 275). But it is a relatively small setback for a nation that has notched up a string of high-profile space successes in recent years, including this months 'heavenly kiss' of two unmanned orbiters, Shenzhou-8 and Tiangong-1 - a milestone in the country's effort to build a manned space station, the Tiangong ('Heavenly Palace'), by the end of the decade.
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