Space
officials in China are eying April of next year for the launch of their first
lunar orbiter--Chang'e-I.
The
probe has been under development since early 2006 and makes use of China's Dongfanghong III satellite platform and other technology. The lunar orbiter will be
tested at the space launch center in December. If checkout goes well, the
spacecraft is to be launched in April atop a Long March 3A booster.
According
to the Wuhan-based Changjiang Daily, quoting Luan Enjie, director of the
China National Space Administration, funding for Chang'e-I is 1.4 billion yuan
- equal to $169 million in U.S. dollars.
One
of Chang'e-I's tasks is to obtain three-dimensional images of the lunar
surface. The moon orbiter, Luan said, is part of a three-step lunar program
during a lecture at the China University of Geosciences in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province.
Following
the Chang'e-I orbiter mission, Luan said, is landing an unmanned vehicle on the
moon by 2010 and collecting samples of lunar soil with an unmanned vehicle by
2020.
"Only
after we finish the three phases can we carry out the manned satellite project
to probe the moon", Luan stated.
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