China optimistic about planned satellite launches this year

BEIJING (AP) — Three months after its landmark first manned space launch, China said Thursday it had high hopes for its plans to send 10 satellites into orbit this year while preparing for a second manned flight and developing its first lunar probe.

“We hope we can contribute to further human exploration of outer space,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said.

Zhang Qingwei, a top space official, was cited by the official Xinhua News Agency on Wednesday as saying that the 10 satellites will be sent into space later this year.

They will include a probe and a meteorological satellite, Zhang said. He is the general manager of the China Space Science and Technology Corp, the country’s major rocket and satellite producer.

The probe is part of China’s Double Star Space Program, in partnership with the European Space Agency, aimed at examining two magnetic fields to better understand space storms, Xinhua said.

According to the news agency, Sun Laiyan, deputy director of the China National Space Administration, said last month that China plans to launch its unmanned moon probe program this year. The program also includes a lunar satellite launch by 2007.

That launch will be followed by a moon landing by an unmanned vehicle by 2010 and soil sample collection by 2020, Xinhua said.

In October, China became the third country in the world to successfully accomplish manned spaceflight. On the day astronaut Yang Liwei returned from his daylong mission, the country announced plans for a space station.