Will Launch First Lunar Probe In April 2007

An official with the Chinese National Space Administration revealed details Thursday of that country's plans to launch a series of probes to the moon... and in the long term, to land humans on its surface.

Reuters reports the first step of that plan will happen next April, when China launches its first satellite to the moon. That probe will only orbit the lunar surface -- but it will be followed a few years later by a remote-controlled lunar rover, according to Yang Duohe of China's Lunar Exploration Program Center.

A few years after that, China will send a module that will drill into the lunar surface, collect mineral specimens and return those samples to Earth... in preparation for a manned flight to the orbital body.

The announcement shows that China's space program -- which was first launched 50 years ago -- is stepping up its efforts to show that China is a serious space contender.

There are still problems to work out before China reaches that goal, however. Luan Enjie, commander of the LEPC, told Reuters that engineers are still grappling with issues ranging from how to remotely pilot such spacecraft, how to handle the wide-ranging temperatures on the lunar surface, and how to assure that solar panels and communications antennae remain properly oriented.

China is also working to standardize its launch program, Luan said, as well as working on ways to increase the thrust of its rockets -- which is currently approximately 18,000 lbs. He also said China has too many different types of satellites -- and they aren't of high-enough quality to assure the successful completion of such a far-reaching mission.

Those sound like issues similar to what NASA experienced in its earliest days, as well -- and China has the benefit of being able to draw upon those experiences today, as well as its association with the Russian space program. China's Shenzhou manned space vehicle, which has carried three taikonauts into orbit on two missions, is similar in design to Russia's successful Soyuz capsules.

FMI: www.cnsa.gov.cn/main_e.asp