Chinese President Hu Jintao said the success of the first stage of China's lunar probe program indicated the nation had joined countries with capability of deep space exploration.

Hu made the remarks at a grand ceremony held Wednesday morning at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing to celebrate the first-phase lunar probe project's success.

He said the lunar probe was another milestone in China's space exploration, following the successes of man-made satellites and manned space flights.

It was also another symbolic result of China's efforts to enhance self-innovation and build an innovative nation and a historical stride the nation made in its way toward world's peak of science and technology, Hu said.

The development of the nation's scientific and technological strength must be based on economic development, Hu said.

Only when development is regarded as the primary task of the Party in its ruling efforts, will new achievements be made in the development process and will the gap between China and world's advanced standards be narrowed, he added.

Chang'e-1, named after a mythical Chinese goddess who, according to legend, flew to the moon, blasted off on a Long March 3A carrier rocket on Oct. 24 from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in the southwestern province of Sichuan.

The satellite traveled nearly two million kilometers in its 15-day flight to the moon and reached its final working orbit with a fixed altitude of 200 kilometers on Nov. 7.

The China National Space Administration released the first picture of the moon captured by Chang'e-1 on Nov. 26, marking the full success of the first stage of the country's lunar probe program.

China pledges peaceful use of outer space

Chinese President Hu Jintao pledged Wednesday that China would adhere to the principle of peaceful development and use of outer space in concerted efforts with other nations.

Addressing a grand ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing to celebrate the success of China's first lunar probe Chang'e-1, Hu reiterated peaceful use of outer space is a shared cause of the mankind and accords with the common interests of the mankind. Full story