China's space officials said
Tuesday that the building of the country's first lunar satellite was entering
its final assembly and testing stage, confirming that major progress has been
made since the satellite project was approved two and a half years ago.
Hao Xifan, deputy director of the Lunar Exploration Center of the Commission
of Science Technology and Industry for National Defense, said the country's
first lunar satellite project has 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 height gauge
and a micro-wave detector.
The satellite project was approved by the Chinese Government in 2004 with 1.4
billion yuan (about US$170 million) in funding.
The Chinese space agency has said the satellite, which is expected to be
launched next year, would 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 the 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 stage the collection of lunar soil samples with an unmanned
vehicle by 2020.
The program is named the Chang'e Program, referring to a goddess who flew to
the moon in an ancient Chinese fairy tale.
Sun Laiyan, director of the China National Space Administration, said earlier
on Tuesday that China's lunar exploration activities were designed to improve
its independent innovative capabilities, and further promote its scientific and
technological level for social development.
China has consistently advocated lunar and outer space exploration for
peaceful purposes, and peaceful use of both lunar and outer space resources to
benefit mankind, he told the 8th International Lunar Exploration Working Group
Conference in Beijing.
Sun said other countries are welcome to cooperate in China's lunar
exploration project 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 conference,
which started Tuesday.
