China's state broadcaster is silent on why it aired the U.S. patriotic song, “America the Beautiful” during the gala live broadcast of the country's latest space launch.

Strains of the soaring tune rang out following the launch Thursday of the Tiang Gong-1 experimental space station module.

It was not clear why the song had been chosen, or whether producers at China Central Television even knew the significance and origins of the tune.

The lyrics contain the words, “America! America! God shed His grace on thee.”