Says It Is On Track For Mission In 2017

The Chinese government says it is planning to build and launch a lunar probe that will land on the moon and bring samples back to Earth in 2017.

The announcement comes after China's Chang'e 3 spacecraft landed safely on the moon Saturday, the first spacecraft to do so in 37 years, according to a report from the Associated Press. The Chang'e 3 mission's objective is to conduct scientific research for a year, and its accompanying Jade Rabbit rover will study the structure of the moon as well as search for natural resources.

China says the Chang'e 3 and the planned 2017 mission are steps in that could lead to a possible manned moon mission in 2020.

China already has an upgraded Chang'e 4 lander in development, which will be the precursor to the fifth probe. The Chinese government says its lunar program is designed to develop technologies that will allow it to conduct deep-space exploration in the future, but also is a source of national pride. He Qisong, a space expert at the Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, said the program is a way to show the world that China has the technological capability to conduct such missions, and is "also a way to win international recognition as a big power."

(Image of Chang'e 3 taken by Jade Rabbit rover released by Chinese National Television)

FMI: www.cnsa.gov.cn/n615709/cindex.html