Countdown begins for China's man on moon
By Yang Jian |
December 30, 2011, Friday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
China will begin preparations to put a man on the moon within the next five years, the Chinese government said yesterday in a white paper on the development of space industry.
The country is planning to send rovers to survey the lunar surface and send back samples, according to "China's Space Activities in 2011," the third white paper on space activities following those issued in 2000 and 2006.
The country's lunar probe projects have achieved several breakthroughs since 2006, with the successful launching of two lunar probes, the Chang'e-1 on October 24, 2007, and Chang'e-2 on October 1, 2010.
The first probe retrieved a great deal of scientific data and a complete map of the moon while the second created a full higher-resolution map of the moon and a high-definition image of Sinus Iridium, the area chosen as a landing site.
On July 21, 1969, American astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stepped on the moon with Armstrong making the famous "giant leap for mankind."
To date, only the United States have put men on the moon, a total of 12.
Other major tasks listed in the white paper for the next five years include satellite launches, manned spaceflights and deep-space exploration.
The country will launch the Shenzhou-9 and Shenzhou-10 spacecraft and achieve space rendezvous and docking missions with the orbiting Tiangong-1, a module of the country's planned space lab, in 2012, Zhang Wei, a China National Space Administration spokesman, told a press conference yesterday.
China launched its unmanned spacecraft Shenzhou-8 on November 1 and completed a second space docking test with the Tiangong-1 two weeks later.
"At least one of the next two Shenzhou missions will be manned," said Wu Ping, spokeswoman for China's manned space program.
She said China's spacecraft will conduct two more docking missions in 2012, with plans to establish a space lab around 2016 and a manned space station four years after that.
China will also build a space infrastructure composed of Earth observation satellites, communications and broadcasting satellites, and navigation and positioning satellites, according to the white paper.
Zhang said China would also conduct primary plans for other deep-space projects, including an exploration of Mars.
"China is still working with Russia to try to salvage the country's first Mars satellite, Yinghuo-1, that failed to reach its intended orbit in November," said Zhang.
The Chinese probe was to discover why water disappeared from Mars and shed light on other environmental changes.
Zhang said that China had exported communications satellites to Nigeria, Venezuela and Pakistan, and had contracts with countries including Bolivia, Belarus, Indonesia and Laos.
He said China was willing to provide space products and services to more countries, especially developing nations.
The country is planning to send rovers to survey the lunar surface and send back samples, according to "China's Space Activities in 2011," the third white paper on space activities following those issued in 2000 and 2006.
The country's lunar probe projects have achieved several breakthroughs since 2006, with the successful launching of two lunar probes, the Chang'e-1 on October 24, 2007, and Chang'e-2 on October 1, 2010.
The first probe retrieved a great deal of scientific data and a complete map of the moon while the second created a full higher-resolution map of the moon and a high-definition image of Sinus Iridium, the area chosen as a landing site.
On July 21, 1969, American astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stepped on the moon with Armstrong making the famous "giant leap for mankind."
To date, only the United States have put men on the moon, a total of 12.
Other major tasks listed in the white paper for the next five years include satellite launches, manned spaceflights and deep-space exploration.
The country will launch the Shenzhou-9 and Shenzhou-10 spacecraft and achieve space rendezvous and docking missions with the orbiting Tiangong-1, a module of the country's planned space lab, in 2012, Zhang Wei, a China National Space Administration spokesman, told a press conference yesterday.
China launched its unmanned spacecraft Shenzhou-8 on November 1 and completed a second space docking test with the Tiangong-1 two weeks later.
"At least one of the next two Shenzhou missions will be manned," said Wu Ping, spokeswoman for China's manned space program.
She said China's spacecraft will conduct two more docking missions in 2012, with plans to establish a space lab around 2016 and a manned space station four years after that.
China will also build a space infrastructure composed of Earth observation satellites, communications and broadcasting satellites, and navigation and positioning satellites, according to the white paper.
Zhang said China would also conduct primary plans for other deep-space projects, including an exploration of Mars.
"China is still working with Russia to try to salvage the country's first Mars satellite, Yinghuo-1, that failed to reach its intended orbit in November," said Zhang.
The Chinese probe was to discover why water disappeared from Mars and shed light on other environmental changes.
Zhang said that China had exported communications satellites to Nigeria, Venezuela and Pakistan, and had contracts with countries including Bolivia, Belarus, Indonesia and Laos.
He said China was willing to provide space products and services to more countries, especially developing nations.
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