China to launch second lunar mission

Chang'e-1, launched on October 24, 2007 was China's first unmanned lunar probe.

Official newspaper the China Daily said that the new probe dubbed, Chang'e-2 will have a higher resolution camera and will orbit closer to the surface. China is also planning a third mission in 2015 that will land on the Moon, collect samples of rock and return them to Earth.

"It (Chang'e-2) will orbit 100 kilometres (62 miles) closer to the Moon and be equipped with better facilities," the official China Daily quoted Ye Peijian, chief designer of Chang'e-1, the country's first lunar probe.

Tests will also be carried out during Chang'e-2's mission to prepare for the lunar-lander and rover. Ye told the third International Conference on Space Information Technology in Beijing on Thursday that the country's lunar-lander and rover, Chang'e-3, is well on the way toward liftoff.  The project is still in its prototype stage and its launch is set for before 2013.

The Chang'e lunar project, named after a legendary Chinese goddess who flew to the moon, is a reflection of China's long term plan in the space race, six years after joining Russia and the United States as the only countries to launch men into orbit. Though Chang'e-2 was at one time the backup to Chang'e-1, it has gone through technical upgrades for its new mission

Chang'e-3 will be China's first lunar-lander and rover and is scheduled to be launched from a Long March 3B launch vehicle from the Xichang satellite launch center before 2013.