Tech & Biz

A New Space Race: China Aims for the Moon

by Jordan Yerman | May 21, 2007 at 10:41 am

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China is having a go at the stars, aiming to place a lander on the moon within five years.

China's National Space Administration (NSA) is planning to send a probe to the moon later this year, according to reports.

The state-controlled Xinhau news agency reports that Sun Laiyan, director of the NSA, was speaking at Beijing Jiaotong University. He said: "The moon probe project is the third milestone in China's space technology after satellite and manned spacecraft projects, and a first step for us in exploring deep space."

China says its space programme will advance in three stages: the first is "circling the moon", the second; "landing on the moon", and the third "returning to Earth".
[...]
Mission planners say the lander mission, with a moon rover, is slated for 2012. Meanwhile, manned missions will also continue. China says the next step will be to try spacewalking and docking two orbiting vehicles.

Sun obliquely acknowledged international concern over China flexing its spacefaring muscles. He said: "Space technology reflects a nation's overall power and is an important facet of the modernisation of national defence. If China had no atomic bombs or hydrogen bombs and had not launched its first satellite since the 1960s, China could not be called an influential country and would not enjoy the same international status."

[q
url="http://www.technewsworld.com/story/BBKIzXtyH8t6ST/China-to-Take-First-Moon-Shot-by-End-of-2007.xhtml"]"Space
activities combine advanced technology, heavy investment, big profits
and high risks," Sun said, adding that only 48 percent of the world's
lunar probing projects had succeeded.

"However, the returns (of space activities) are huge, in terms of
politics, economy, military and convenience brought to everyday life, "
he said. "For one dollar invested in space science, you can expect
direct and indirect returns of at least seven dollars."[/q]