As US investigators sift through the wreckage of two accidents, China’s space programme has taken another small step forward with the return of an unmanned spacecraft that orbited the moon for eight days.

China’s long march into space has followed a well-trodden path. The return of the orbiter replicates a feat achieved by the US and the Soviet Union more than 40 years ago. But it is a skill necessary for China’s plans to send an astronaut to the moon.

Although not scientifically or technologically groundbreaking – India in September placed a satellite in orbit around Mars – China’s advance plays on fears in Washington that the US is losing its edge in space. The US is dependent on Russia to ferry astronauts to the International Space Station after retiring its fleet of space shuttles.