ASIA'S extraterrestrial ambitions have rocketed from nowhere in the 50 years since the first human space flight, with China shooting for the moon while India and Japan fuel up their own programs, [along with South Korea], reports AFP video and The Straights Times. Since China in 2003 became the world's third nation to put a man in space independently, after the United States and Russia, its manned space flight program has earned worldwide attention. In October, it launched its second lunar probe Chang'e-2 - the next step in a bold program to become the second country to put a man on the moon. Beijing also plans to build its own space station, [launch a prtotype late this year].
Wu Weiren, chief designer of China's lunar orbiter project, has said there is no timetable for a manned moon landing, but that it would not happen before 2020, according to comments carried by state media. [China plans a lunar soil sample return in the next five years.]
The initiative is run by the country's powerful People's Liberation Army, which does not welcome international cooperation - unlike its regional rival India, which is targeting a manned space mission in 2016. 'India is totally different from China in that it benefits from technology transfers. Beijing has meanwhile been isolated as it has built up its space programme,' said Isabelle Sourbes-Verger, a French expert on China's efforts.
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