Whole text from here

        http://www.physorg.com/news98892320.html

Says:

China aims to launch its first lunar orbiter later this year, part of
a three-step plan it hopes will eventually see moon samples brought
back to Earth, state media said Sunday.

The launch of the Chang'e I, envisaged in the second half of 2007,
would be a landmark for China's space programme, China's space agency
chief Sun Laiyan was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua news
agency.

"The moon probe project is the third milestone in China's space
technology after satellite and manned spacecraft projects, and a first
step for us in exploring deep space," he said in the report.

Sun, speaking at Beijing Jiaotong University, said China's lunar
exploration programme was divided into three phases: orbiting the
moon, landing on the lunar surface and coming back to Earth with
samples.

The orbiter represented the first phase, with a moon rover to be used
in the second phase scheduled for around 2012, Xinhua said.

The plan for the third phase was for another rover to land on the
lunar surface and collect samples before returning to Earth, said Sun,
who is the head of the China National Space Administration.

-- 
http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive
View/change your membership options at
http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist