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Asian space race heats up as PRC launches orbiter

A Long March 3A rocket carrying the Chang'e I lunar orbiter blasts off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan Province yesterday. PHOTO: REUTERS

Asia's space race heated up yesterday as China launched its first lunar orbiter, an event hailed in the world's most populous country as a milestone event in its global rise.

China's year-long expedition, costing 1.4 billion yuan (US$184 million), kicked off a program that aims to land an unmanned rover on the moon's surface by 2012 and put a man on the moon by about 2020.

The launch of Chang'e I, which will explore and map the moon's surface, came after Japan last month launched its first lunar probe and ahead of a similar mission planned by India for next year.

Chang'e I took off at 6:05pm -- perfect timing for a national TV audience that watched it live after repeatedly being told by the government-controlled press about the significance of the event.

China has hailed the lunar orbiter as the third major milestone event for the nation's space program, after developing rockets and satellites since the 1970s and sending men into orbit in 2003 and 2005.

"Flying to the moon is the nation's long cherished dream," Xinhua news agency said in a report immediately after the launch.

More than 1,000 Chinese journalists had reportedly converged on Xichang Satellite Launching Center in Sichuan Province to cover the event.

In the months leading up to the launch, one of the chief scientists in China's moon program, Ouyang Ziyuan (歐陽自遠), also pointed to the broader message a successful mission would send to the Chinese people and the world.

"As lunar exploration embodies our overall national strength, it is very significant for raising our international prestige and our national unity," Ouyang told the People's Daily.

To drum up Chinese pride, the national anthem and 31 other patriotic songs were uploaded onto the satellite so it could broadcast the music back to China.

On Sept. 14, Japan stole a march on China by launching its first lunar orbiter as a key step in putting a man on the moon by 2020.

Although the timeframes for China and Japan to eventually put someone on the moon are roughly similar, Chinese officials tried to play down the rivalry.

"Japan began its lunar exploration research much earlier than we did, so we have always stressed that with the launch of Chang'e I, we don't want to be talking about who is first," top mission official Zhang Jianqi (桲建琪) said.
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