The satellite carried a radio transmitter which broadcast the then de facto national anthem of the same name.

It was developed under the direction of Qian Xuesen, dean of the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST).

While Dongfanghong 1 was transported to the launch site by train, armed guards were placed between every two electricity poles.

[citation needed] The satellite was similar in shape to a symmetrical 72-faced polyhedron, had a mass of 173 kg (381 lb), and had a diameter of approximately 1 m (3 ft 3 in).

After this launch, Qian Xuesen proposed to the Chinese government that China should develop a manned space program and submitted a manned space undertaking report to which Mao Zedong personally approved.

The birthplace of Dong Fang Hong 1, the Beijing Satellite Manufacturing Plant, was used as a monument.

The manufacturing plant, in coordination with the Shenzhou 5 manned spacecraft anniversary, created a 1:1 scale replica of the Dong Fang Hong 1 satellite.