Article Posted on : - Nov 03, 2008

A life-sized Mars probe model on display at Shanghai Aerospace Technology Exhibition

HONG KONG (BNS): Buoyed by the success of its first manned moon mission this year, China has unveiled plans to launch an exploration satellite to Mars next year. Another of its ambitious project is a new carrier rocket launch in 2013.

Ahead of the 2008 China Air Show in Zhuhai City in southern Guangdong Province, China announced that it was ready to launch an exploration satellite to Mars in September next year.

A Chinese satellite would take a Russian spaceship to Mars after an 11-month journey in the summer of 2010, Wang Li, an official of the Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation was quoted as saying by the Shanghai Daily. It will gather data on Mars' space environment and the relationship between solar wind and the planet's magnetic field.

Wang said September was selected for the launch, as it would reduce the time needed to reach Mars, adding although it would take 11 months, which is much longer than moon missions, it will mark the first solid step in China's exploration of Mars.

The new Long March 5 carrier rocket with a capacity of 25 tonnes would be launched in 2013, in low orbit. "The most advanced carrier rocket presently can take a capacity of 9.5 tonnes into low orbit. A model of Long March 5 has been set up at the exhibition site," the Daily said.

The Long March 5 will be used for manned missions as well as to transport large telescopes, moon explorers, outer space explorers, and application satellites weighing up to 20 tonnes.

China is expected to open the tendering process for the country's first moon rover soon.

Meanwhile, an official announced that the National Space Agency plans to send a robotic vehicle to the moon by 2012 in the second phase of its Chang'e lunar exploration project.

At least 13 research institutes are interested in bidding for the contract, which is estimated to exceed 1 billion yuan (US$147 million).