The Long March II F rocket carrying the capsule blasted into clear skies from the Gobi desert in north China's Inner Mongolia at 9:00 am (0100 GMT) for a 21-hour flight that will see the craft orbit the Earth 14 times.

Shenzhou V went into preset orbit 10 minutes after take-off as China became just the third country after the United States and the former Soviet Union to put a man in space 42 years after cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin's epic first flight.

Reflecting official Chinese pride, People's Liberation Army Lieutenant Colonel Yang Liwei, who was at the controls, unfurled China's five-star national flag after he reached space, Xinhua news agency reported.

"I feel good, see you tomorrow," 38-year-old Yang, a fighter pilot with more than 1,300 hours flight time, was quoted as saying 34 minutes after lift-off in China's first words from space.

Late in the day, he made a long-distance call to his wife, telling her the view was "beautiful," state media reported.

"It feels good to be in space," he told his wife, Zhang Yumei, who is also employed at China's space program, while their eight-year-old son was listening in. "The view of the universe is beautiful."

Described as a "warrior" by President Hu Jintao, Yang was shown three hours into the mission lying on his back resting after a traditional Chinese lunch of diced chicken meat and rice cooked with nuts and dates.

Yang spent a sleepness night as preparations got underway for his launch, Xinhua reported, but was able to sleep for about three hours while in orbit.

By 3:57 pm (0757 GMT), he completed a planned orbit shift, said to be crucial in order to pull off a safe and precise landing.

Ninety minutes later, he was in radio contact with Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan, reassuring him everything was going according to plan.

"Thank you for your concern, commander, please don't be worried," Yang told the minister, according to the People's Daily website.

Live footage from inside the capsule showed Yang apparently in good spirits, as he again spoke with Cao, telling him, "I will strive to complete my tasks well and ensure the full success of the mission," according to Xinhua.

Hu watched the blast-off at the Jiuquan Launch Center and hailed the launch as "the glory of our great motherland."

Former president and military chief Jiang Zemin, who named the Shenzhou program and was expected to be at Jiuquan, was not mentioned by any official media as attending.

Hu said the culmination of the 11-year space program was a "historic step of the Chinese people in the advance of climbing over the peak of the world's science and technology."

Russia, which has trained Chinese astronauts, led congratulations from around the world.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair also sent a congratulatory message, saying he was impressed by "the dedication and skill of all those involved in this historic mission."

The mission is being tracked from 13 monitoring stations dotted across China, Pakistan, Namibia and Kenya.

The craft is expected to land in central Inner Mongolia between 6:00 am and 7:00 am Thursday (2200 and 2300 GMT Wednesday).

Experts predicted "favorable climatic conditions" with good visibility throughout the day.

The launch caps a highly secretive program codenamed Project 921 that has cost billions of dollars and comes as the United States agonises over its own manned space flights following the loss of its second shuttle Columbia in February this year.

The secrecy continued up to the launch with the government pulling the plug without explanation on a live broadcast. Analysts said fear of disappointment and criticism if the mission failed was likely behind the decision.

The Communist Party has much riding on a successful mission, hoping it will promote patriotism, national cohesion and legitimacy for its rule, and with millions potentially watching, failure would have been a publicity disaster.

The Shenzhou, or "Divine Vessel," is based on the three-seat Russian Soyuz capsule, which the Soviets first launched some 36 years ago, albeit updated in key areas such as the life-support and computer systems.

Beijing, however, insists everything sent into space is developed and made in China.

While prestige is a key component of China's desire to compete in space with other world powers, Chinese officials have said there are military connotations.

Beijing has played this down in recent days and the United States has indicated it is willing to accept this version of events.

Several US experts have speculated that China is aiming to catch up with the United States and Russia, which already have numerous military spy satellites in orbit.

SPACE.WIRE