China Plans To Expand Space Program To Mars
Yvonne Lee - All Headline News Staff Reporter (AHN) - China announces plans to expand its ambitious space exploration program to Mars. The official Xinhua news agency says Beijing intends to launch its first lunar probe next year. The $175 million probe is part of a year-long mission to gather "three-dimensional images and data on the moon's surface and environment." It will be the first of a three-stage project, which includes a lunar vehicle to be launched in 2012, and a rock-collecting module. However, the program may be a four-stage plan. The deputy head of China's space program said in June the country would place a man on the moon by 2024. Xinhua says in the next five years, "China will on the basis of its Moon probes actively plan deep space exploration, focusing on lunar and Mars exploration."
Article © All Headline News - All Rights Reserved
|
