China will make public the data collected by its first lunar probe Chang'e-1 and share them with foreign countries, Chinese official in charge of the moon exploration program said on Monday.

"The data sent back by Chang'e-1 will be provided with domestic research institutions and then we will share them with the foreign peers one year later according to international practice," said Hu Hao, head of the moon exploration center under the Commission of Science Technology and Industry of National Defense (COSTIND).

China successfully launched the Chang'e-1, named after a mythical Chinese goddess who, according to legend, flew to the moon, on Wednesday. The moon orbiter is currently moving on a 24-hour orbit with an apogee of 70,000 kilometers.

"The operation of the Chang'e-1 goes on well and the data are expected to be sent back in a steady stream after all the exploration equipment on the orbiter begin to work on November 18, " said Yang Duohe, chief engineer of of COSTIND's moon exploration center.

China has established a 112-strong research team, which is headed by Ouyang Ziyuan, chief scientist of China's lunar exploration, to study the data collected by Chang'e-1.

Officially called a scientific application committee, the team consists of experts in the fields of geology, meteorology and aeronautics.

"The first-hand data will be most informative and our responsibility is to make full use of them," said Ouyang Ziyuan.

(Xinhua News Agency October 29, 2007)