China's Tiangong-1 video, set to the tune of America the Beautiful. Reuters

The lift-off was flawless. The orbit immaculate. But while China's leaders were celebrating the triumphant launch of Tiangong-1 space lab on Thursday, viewers of state television footage were treated to a bizarre choice of soundtrack: America the Beautiful.

China's Tiangong-1 waits on the launchpad. Photograph: AFP/Getty

To mark the launch, the Chinese space agency and China Central Television (CCTV) released a proud animation, set to rousing orchestral strains, of the "Heavenly Palace" thrusting skyward, lofting above the Earth and docking with a Shenzhou crew capsule.

The only problem being that the backing music in question is America the Beautiful – more or less an unofficial national anthem of the United States. The Guardian spotted the blunder after picking up the video from the Reuters news agency while covering the launch.

America the Beautiful, which was composed by a New York church organist in 1882, has long been a favourite of US patriots. It has been proposed as the national hymn and a replacement for The Star-Spangled Banner as US national anthem.

It could hardly be more different from the music associated with the launch of China's first rocket in 1970. That satellite transmitted the Cultural Revolution anthem, The East is Red, extolling the virtues of the Communist party and Chairman Mao.

The choice of soundtrack for the Tiangong launch raised several questions. Is this the work of an idealist seeking to usher in a new era of trans-Pacific co-operation, a nationalist who wants to colonise American culture as well as outer space, or simply a propaganda gaffe?

When asked why an American hymn was chosen, the state channel appeared to be stumped.

"I don't know how to answer your question," Chen Zhansheng of the CCTV propaganda department said. "I cannot help you."

Unfortunately for China's government PR mandarins, they have boldly gone here before, and spotting the slip-ups they make in the name of bolstering national pride and unity has become a kind of internet sport.

In January CCTV aired a bulletin about air force training that included a clip lifted from the Tom Cruise film Top Gun.

Then in June some officials in Sichuan province had themselves Photoshopped into a picture of a new road to make it look like they were doing an inspection. But at least it was a Chinese road.

To be fair, the Chinese are not alone in such mistakes. Perhaps drawing inspiration from the Sichuan example, the Syrian official news agency got in on the game in July, in the midst of national upheaval releasing a business-as-usual photo that appeared to show President Bashar al-Assad levitating slightly.

And in September 2010 Egypt used the power and versatility of digital cut-and-paste to move Hosni Mubarak to the front of a red-carpet procession of world leaders – ahead of Barack Obama, when the original image had Mubarak behind.

CCTV has posted the offending Tiangong-1 animation on the English version of its own website – though the link may well die once the error comes to the station directors' attention. The clip carrying America the Beautiful was also distributed to western news agencies.