Chinas lunar probe program has no purpose other than scientific achievement, and it is not competing with any other country, a senior Chinese official has said.
New Delhi, Aug 16 : China's lunar probe program has no purpose other than scientific achievement, and it is not competing with any other country, a senior Chinese official has said.
His comments come in the wake of Japan's decision to adjust its lunar launch date.
Hao Xifan, deputy director of the Lunar Exploration Center of the Commission of Science Technology and Industry for National Defense, said, Japan's change of plan would not influence Chinese lunar launch plans.
"We will follow our own plan. China's Moon probe is independent and developed by ourselves. After more than three years' efforts, we have confidence in the project's success," he said.
On Wednesday, Japan said it would launch its lunar probe, Selena, on September 13. It said some condensers were improperly installed, and this could affect one of its 14 projects.
Xifan said all technologies used in the lunar orbiter Chang'e I originates from China's Earth satellites, and would need further testing in the lunar environment.
Besides, the launching process also entails high risks, he said.
"There are many things we don't know in terms of technology. We have made preparations, but the technical risks are there," Xifan said.
According to China Daily, the probe, Chang'e I, will be carried into deep space by a Long March 3-A rocket. The rocket has fired successfully in all 14 missions since 1994.
Jin Zhigang, deputy chief architect of the rocket, said any failure in the 50-odd movements of the launch could influence the fate of Chang'e I.
"The past 14 successes cannot guarantee the next launch will be successful and the carrier rocket is designed with a reliability index of 0.95, so strictly speaking, not every launch can be guaranteed a success," Jin said.
Out of the 122 lunar probes so far undertaken, only 59 have been successful. The United States and the former Soviet Union both failed in their first lunar missions.
Sun Zezhou, deputy chief architect of the satellite system, said Chang'e I will circle the Moon for a year.
Its top missions, divided into three phases - "circling the Moon", "landing on the Moon" and "back to Earth", would include obtaining three-dimensional images of the Moon's surface, and measuring the thickness of its soil by using a microwave radiometer.
The 2,350 kg orbiter will provide first-hand knowledge about the Moon and build a sound foundation for the next phases of the program, he said.
He said after the launch of the orbiter, China will launch a Moon rover in the second phase, and another rover in the third phase, which will return to Earth with soil and stone samples from the Moon.
ANI