It comes as no surprise that China's space program may have military applications.
"As the Soviet Union used its Soyuz capsules and Salyut space stations in the 1970s and 1980s to spy from space and carry out other forms of military research, so will the Chinese," said Curtis of Space Today Online.
Yu of the US Naval Academy said: "This project may boost China's R&D on strategic missile programs, but the cost will be enormous for China."
China has hinted at more starry-eyed space plans. State media have reported on designs for a lunar probe that would be a step towards sending Chinese to the moon.
One giant misstep for China?
Hard economic realities may temper those dreams.
China is running a record 320 billion yuan (US$39 billion) deficit this year. While the economy is flourishing, the health of the financial system is precarious and any sharp downturn could quickly squelch loftier ambitions for space.
Some analysts were critical of the
planned moon landing.
"A wasteful program such as the planned moon landing conducted by a developing country is just a small step for mankind and a giant misstep for China," Yu said in a wry twist on Neil Armstrong's famous quote.
Human boots have not trod on the moon since the US Apollo program ended with the Apollo XVII mission in 1972.
The Soviet Union was the first to put a man in space when Yuri Gagarin reached orbit in 1961. Weeks later, Alan Shepard became the first American in space, although an American didn't orbit Earth until John Glenn did so the following year.
Experts said China may be joining the exclusive space club four decades late, but its entry could trigger a space race in Northeast Asia with Japan and even South Korea.
"The launch of Chinese astronauts will capture the attention of everyone, especially opinion leaders," Curtis said. "That could breathe new life into the US space program as Americans realize that competition has returned after disappearing for a time since the fall of the Soviet Union."
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