Tu is famous as the chief designer of the Long March 2 rocket and China's intercontinental ballistic missile.

[1][2][3] Together with Liang Shoupan, Huang Weilu and Ren Xinmin, Tu is considered one of the "Four Elders of China's Aerospace".

The pervading sense of Japanese menace germinated an idea in his mind that China should have the independent capacity to manufacture planes.

From then on, Tu plunged himself into Chinese missile and aerospace projects, especially its system design aspect.

Tu felt very sorry for the Columbia disaster in 2003, but he also insisted that the progress of space science is unstoppable, while China "is still on track to launch its first manned spacecraft".