China's moon orbiting mission takes step forward
Thu Dec 29, 2005 9:18 AM ET6
BEIJING (Reuters) - China's plans to send a spacecraft around the
moon have reached a new stage, with the unmanned orbiter and rocket
entering production and testing, China's top aerospace official
said on Thursday.
Luan Enjie, commander of China's "round the moon" project, said the
Chang'e 1 Lunar Orbiter and a launch rocket are being assembled and
tested, and the launch site and command system are also taking
shape, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.
Luan said the craft is still on schedule to be launched in
2007.
The unmanned lunar orbiter is part of China's plan to eventually
land astronauts -- called "taikonauts" by the Chinese government --
on the moon before 2020.
"Taikong" is the Mandarin Chinese word for outerspace.
"Our technical staff have solved many crucial technical problems by
attacking technological focal points, assembling systems and
conducting a range of experiments", Xinhua said in the report on
preparations.
Planning for China's lunar exploration project has been underway
since early 2004.
China launched its first man into space in 2003, and in October
2005 it sent another spacecraft carrying two men into orbit for
five days. Another manned orbit is planned for 2007.
In the United States, the Bush administration announced a $104
billion plan in September to return Americans to the moon by 2018.
Its Apollo program carried the first humans to the moon in
1969.
Japan has also announced plans to land a person on the moon by
2025.
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