A View From Outside: China Shoots for the Moon

ASK OCE — August 4, 2006 — Vol. 1 Issue 11

China aims to conduct a moonwalk by 2024, according to China National Space Administration lunar program vice director Long Lehao.

The Chinese Chang’e program consists of a series of unmanned missions to the Moon. The program was announced in 2003 and is named after the Chinese moon goddess. The first spacecraft, Chang’e 1 is currently scheduled to be launched between April 17 and April 19, 2007, with further launches to follow by 2010. Chang’e 1 will be a two-ton moon orbiting satellite.

The satellite will carry two dozen pieces of equipment to gather lunar data, including three-dimensional cameras, microprobe instruments, and a high-energy sun particle detector. The craft will orbit the moon for one year.

The Chang’e 1 launch is the first of a three phase lunar program. The second phase, which will send an unmanned craft to explore the lunar surface by executing a soft landing of a detector on the surface, will take place in 2017. In the third phase, scheduled for 2020, another unmanned craft will be sent to collect surface samples using a robot rover and probe and then return to Earth with the samples.

These three phases will be a prelude to the nation’s ultimate aspiration of landing a Chinese citizen on the moon by 2024.

China National Space Administration (CNSA) vice administrator Luo Ge has invited NASA Administrator Dr. Michael Griffin to visit China in the fall of 2006.

Read more about China’s developmental plan for its manned space program.