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October 11, 2008 11:06:36 PM CDT

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China Launches 1st Lunar Probe

Posted Oct 24, 07 12:46 PM CDT in World,  Technology,  Science & Health 

(Newser) – China launched its first lunar mission today, beginning its gambit to be the third country to put a man in space. The Chang'e-I probe fired into space unmanned, but the lunar orbiter should earn China’s space program respect—and lucrative contracts, Bloomberg reports. China next plans to land a lunar rover in 2012 and astronauts in 2020.

The Chang’e, named for a moon-dwelling Chinese deity with a pet rabbit, will orbit the moon for a year, creating 3D maps of its surface. “If they can have a successful expedition to the moon, then they can attract contracts for other satellite launches,” said one professor. That’s crucial for the program, which has one-tenth NASA's budget.

Sources Bloomberg, Guardian (UK)

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Chinese watch an animated image during live coverage of the launch of the country's lunar orbiter, on a large screen outside a Beijing shopping center Wednesday Oct. 24, 2007. China launched its first...   (Associated Press)
A crowd watches China's first moon orbiter Chang'e 1 lift off from the launch pad at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan province, on Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2007. China launched...   (Associated Press)
Chinese watch an animated image during live coverage of the launch of the country's lunar orbiter, on a large screen near the train station in Beijing, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2007. China launched its first...   (Associated Press)
Chinese watch an animated image during live coverage of the launch of the country's lunar orbiter, on a large screen near the train station in Beijing, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2007. China launched its first...   (Associated Press)
A Chinese man is silhouetted as he watches an animated image during live coverage of the launch of the country's lunar orbiter, on a large screen near the train station in Beijing, China, Wednesday, Oct....   (Associated Press)
In this photo released by China's official Xinhua news agency, China's first moon orbiter,Chang'e 1 lifts off from the launch pad at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan province,...   (Associated Press)
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China  • NASA  • space  • space exploration  • Discovery space shuttle  • moon  • European Space Agency


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