Beijing - China, which aims to send a man into space later this year, has already set its sight on the next step in its fledgling space programme - the moon, state media reported on Sunday.
Once the first Chinese astronaut has orbited the earth, the next big challenge will be moon exploration, the Beijing Daily reported, citing Luan Enjie, director of the State Space Administration.
China will soon start research into practical technologies that will make moon exploration possible, Luan said.
China's moon programme is divided into three phases. The first is the dispatch of a satellite that will explore the physical properties of the moon.
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During the second phase a rocket will blast off from Earth and land on the moon, and finally, a space shuttle will collect samples from the moon's surface.
Huang Chunping, general director of the rocket system designed for the space programme, last month said he believed China had the ability to send astronauts to the moon.
State media said last year that China wanted to establish a moon base, while space exhibitions have suggested that Beijing has ambitions to eventually explore Mars as well.
China has so far launched four unmanned spaceflights, the last of which successfully returned to earth on January 5 after a 162-hour mission. This was considered by many to be the final dress rehearsal before a manned spaceflight.
If the attempts are successful, China will be the third country to send a human into orbit following the former Soviet Union and the United States. - Sapa-AFP
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