Some excerpts from an article.
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/12/30/world/asia/china-space-program/index.html?eref=rss_topstories(CNN) -- China plans to put laboratories in space, collect samples from the moon and prepare to build space stations over the next five years, according to an ambitious plan released this week aimed at putting the country on the global map for space exploration.
China also plans to launch manned-vessels and freighters into space during the coming half-decade, according to a government white paper. The country's eventual goal in the longer term is a manned lunar landing.
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The Chinese plans announced this week come as the United States has been scaling back its ambitions and funding for space exploration.
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China says its military-run space program will be used for peaceful purposes. But its activities have set off controversy in the past, like when
it shot down one of its dead satellites in 2007, for example. That move alarmed some officials in the United States and other countries and raised concerns about the militarization of the space race.
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"China is still catching up to countries that began their space programs in the 1960s," said Jiao. "It may be impressive to see what China has done in the past decade, but there is still a long way to go."
The paper also says China will develop technology to monitor space debris, study black holes and develop small satellites for environmental and disaster monitoring and forecasting.
Hefei Expat - China
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