Article Posted on : - Oct 22, 2010

BEIJING (BNS): As it basks in the success of its second lunar mission, China now aims to explore Mars.

The country is planning to send a probe to the Red planet sometime in 2013.

The China Academy of Space Technology, during the third China Space Technology Forum in Beijing on Thursday, has put forth a proposal to send the probe to Mars, the China Daily reported.

The earliest that China will be able to launch a probe to Mars is November in 2013, as one to two years of exploration will need to be carried out, said forum participant Huang Jiangchuan, also chief designer of Chang'e-2 lunar satellite, the news report said.

China had launched its second lunar probe Chang’e-2 on October 1 which successfully entered its designated orbit nine days later. The country’s first lunar mission Chang'e-1, launched on October 24, 2007, had successfully completed a series of missions.

The country will pursue the Mars exploration programme in order to bridge the gap of space technology between itself and other countries, the news report quoted Huang as saying.