Chinese officials said the unmanned module circled the earth for 21 hours and landed safely in a field, paving the way for a Chinese piloted space mission within a few years.

Although lawmakers, at home this week after adjourning last Friday, were unavailable for comment, Rick Dykema, chief of staff for House Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee chairman Dana Rohrabacher, (R-California), said the Chinese had the U.S. to thank for their successful test.

"It's an achievement made possible by U.S. technology," Dykema said. He called alleged technology transfers to China from U.S. aerospace firms "illegal and inappropriate," referring to charges that Boeing subsidiary McDonnell Douglas and other U.S. aerospace firms have defied U.S. policy by providing technical assistance and parts to China.

The U.S. has refused to cooperate with China in space missions due to China's violation of the Missile Technology Control Regime.

For a Pentagon official, who asked not to be named, the event held more concrete importance. "There may well be overlaps between China's improved civilian space program and military space program," the official said. "We are studying if this launch has any implication for China's strategic missile capability."

The Pentagon expected the test, the official said.

While Dykema said he did not consider China's development of a manned program a "threat" to the U.S., he said the United States -- and Russia -- should steer clear of any cooperation with China.

Although Chinese officials said that the spacecraft was designed and built within the country, the Chinese space program has relied on Russian technology and specialists.

"We'd rather not [have Russia] provide help to communist China in any of the technical areas," Dykema said.

NASA spokeswoman Debbie Rahn said the launch represents an important advance for China, but there is "no impact on NASA."

Yet the Senate space policy aide speculated that Congress and the administration would seek a way to tout the U.S. piloted program as a political response to the launch.

The aide said it remains unclear whether this means re-focused attention on completing the International Space Station or a public relations ploy symbolizing the strength of the U.S. program.

The aide said the launch could also serve as political fuel for a bill written by Sen. John Breaux, (D-Louisiana), to offer federally backed loan guarantees to U.S. commercial launch companies. The plan was expected to have been voted on this month, but consideration was blocked in the Senate.

John Logsdon, director of the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University, said the launch should come as no surprise, as China had worked toward manned launch for decades.

"What is most striking is the reaction here to it," Logsdon said. "China is a very capable country. It has said publicly that it was going to do this."