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China Launches Lunar Probe Project
Beijing - Mar 01, 2004 Luan Enjie, director of the China National Space Administration (CNSA), has been appointed chief commander of China's project to launch a lunar probe satellite, sources with the administration said Friday. Sun Jiadong, a leading space expert, has been appointed chief architect of the lunar probe project, and Ouyang Ziyuan, member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has been named chief scientist. With funding of 1.4 billion yuan (about 170 million US dollars),China's lunar probe project involves launching of a satellite to orbit the moon by 2007, said senior officials with the administration. Sun Laiyan, deputy director of the administration, said the satellite would obtain three-dimensional images of the lunar surface, analyze the content of useful elements and materials, and prove the depth of the lunar soil and the space environment between the earth and the moon. The satellite project is part of the country's ambitious three-stage lunar program, which would be followed by the landing of an unmanned vehicle on the moon in the second stage by 2010, and collecting samples of lunar soil with an unmanned vehicle by 2020. Sun described the satellite project as an important step toward China's exploration of deeper space, and the moon would provide a good platform from which to explore. A group of space officials and leading scientists in charge of the project gathered earlier this week for the first meeting on the project. The program is named the Chang'e Program, referring to a goddess who flew to the moon in an ancient Chinese fairy tale. Source: Xinhua News Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links SpaceDaily Search SpaceDaily Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express The Chinese Space Program - News, Policy and Technology China News from SinoDaily.com
Taikonauts On Moon A Far Off Dream For China Yet
Beijing (XNA) Jan 05, 2006A one-year lunar fly-by mission may start in April 2007 in China, but a manned flight to the Earth's neighbour may be a long way away, a chief lunar exploration scientist said last night. |
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