China's Long March-6 rocket, carrying 20 micro-satellites, blasts off from the launch pad in Taiyuan.
SHANGHAI - China has begun preparations for a new lunar mission in 2018 when it plans to send a probe to the dark side of the moon not explored by humans so far, in a bid to create a new landmark in space exploration.
The far side of the moon is never visible to Earth because of gravitational forces and has never been explored.
Previous spacecraft have seen the far side of the moon, that is never visible from earth, but none has landed on it.
A new probe, the Chang'e-4, is similar to the Chang'e-3 but can carry a bigger payload, Xinhua quoted Liu Jizhong, head of the science, technology and defense industry administration's lunar exploration center, as saying late on Thursday.
The craft will study geological conditions on the far side of the moon, Liu said. Advancing China's space program has been a priority of leaders, with President Xi Jinping calling for China to establish itself as a space power.
China insists that its space program is for peaceful purposes. However, the U.S. Defense Department has highlighted China's increasing space capabilities, saying it was pursuing activities aimed at preventing its adversaries from using space-based assets during a crisis.
“The U.S. has sent more than 20 spacecraft to Mars since 1964, among which several probes have landed on the surface of the red planet. The Curiosity is still roving Mars and sending back information. NASA is leaving the other space competitors far behind,” state-run Global Times said in an editorial in 2015.
“China should dream big in outer space. NASA’s far sight and one discovery after another have met our curiosity and gained respect from the world, including the Chinese people. At the same time, its discoveries gives us a sense of urgency,” it said.
China has an advanced space programme with a first soft-landing on the moon with Chang’e-3 in December 2013, which is still sending messages back to Earth.
Mr. Liu said Chang’e-4 is very similar to Chang’e-3 in structure but can handle more payload. It will be used to study the geological conditions of the dark side of the moon.
China sent a letter of intent of cooperation to foreign countries in early 2015.
In March, the Chinese government said it would open up its lunar exploration program to companies rather than simply relying on the state-owned sector as before, hoping to boost technological breakthroughs. [nL3N0WJ3AF]
The Chang’e-5 lunar probe is now being developed by scientists, Mr. Liu said.
By 2022, China also plans set up its own space station rival to Russia’s space station Mir that is jointly operated with the U.S. - Reuters
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