Chinese media trumpet space launch
China’s rise as a space power poses no threat to the rest of the
world, official media said Thursday, as it celebrated the successful
start of the nation’s efforts to send a man to the moon.
“The country has long before made clear that its space programmes are
for peaceful purposes,” said an editorial in the English-language China
Daily, a newspaper used by the government to express its views to a
foreign audience. “It (China) is willing to join international
cooperation in peaceful space exploration.”
China on Wednesday successfully launched the Chang’e I satellite to
explore and map the lunar surface, the first major step in its ambitions
to put a man on the moon by around 2020.
The start of the year-long mission is being seen in China as the
third major milestone for the nation’s space programme, after developing
rockets and satellites and sending men into orbit in 2003 and 2005.
China’s expedition, which officials said is costing 1.4 billion yuan
(184 million dollars), is part of a frantic period of activity in an
Asian space race. Japan, which also wants to put a man on the moon by
2020, last month launched its own lunar orbiter, while India is looking
to send off a similar mission early next year.
In an interview with China’s official Xinhua news agency, the chief
commander of the Chinese lunar satellite project, Luan Enjie,
acknowledged that “a new wave of moon exploration” was underway.
However Luan sought to play down the concept of a growing
international space rivalries.
Beijing, Friday, AFP
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