China's first lunar satellite was entering its final phase of
assembly and testing, space officials said Tuesday. They confirmed
major progress had been made since the satellite project was given
the go-ahead over two years ago.
Hao Xifan, deputy director of the Lunar Exploration Center of
the Commission of Science Technology and Industry for National
Defense, said work on the country's first lunar satellite project
had been progressing smoothly.
The satellite, which is based on China's Dongfanghong III
telecommunication satellite platform, boasts seven types of
scientific exploration instruments including a CCD camera, a
high-energy particle detector, a laser measuring gauge and a
micro-wave detector.
The satellite project was approved by the Chinese government in
2004 with a budget of 1.4 billion yuan (around US$170
million).??
The Chinese space agency has said the satellite, which is
expected to be launched next year, will obtain three-dimensional
images of the lunar surface, analyze the content of relevant
elements and materials, verify the depth of the lunar soil and
study the space environment between earth and the moon.
The satellite project is part of the country's ambitious
three-stage lunar program. The second stage involves landing an
unmanned vehicle on the moon by 2010 and the third is the
collection of lunar soil samples with an unmanned craft by
2020.
The space schedule is named the "Chang'e Program" which refers
to a goddess who flew to the moon in an ancient Chinese
fairytale.
Sun Laiyan, director of the China National Space Administration,
said on Tuesday that the country's lunar exploration activities
were designed to improve its independent innovative capabilities
and further promote its scientific and technological capabilities
for social development.
China has consistently advocated lunar and outer space
exploration for peaceful purposes to benefit mankind, Sun told the
8th International Lunar Exploration Working Group Conference in
Beijing.
Sun said other countries were welcome to cooperate in China's
lunar exploration projects on the basis of mutual benefits and
equality.
Space experts from the United States, the European Space Agency,
Italy, Japan and India talked about their lunar probe programs at
the three-day Beijing conference which got underway Tuesday.
(Xinhua News Agency July 26, 2006)
