Three stages of Chang´e One orbiter´s mission

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Source: CCTV.com | 10-25-2007 09:17

The launch of the Chang'e One orbiter is the first step of China's three-stage moon mission. The second phase will be the launch of a moon rover around 2012. And a sample return craft is planned for some time before 2020.

The first stage of China's moon exploration project is "Orbiting the Moon". The goal of this phase is to launch China's first moon orbiter and carry out its first flight orbiting the Moon. This stage makes full use of China's mature space technology, and establishes the initial phase of the country's moon exploration project.