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China and Solar System Exploration

Budgetary and technical constraints have heretofore hindered Chinese aspirations of solar system exploration. In 1992 a senior Chinese official indicated his country's desire to participate in planetary missions, particularly to Mars. The PRC has played a very minor role in the Russian-led Mars-98 mission.

The first national deep space science mission may be a lunar orbiter, currently under study for a possible launch at the turn of the century (References 157-158). On 18 March 1998 Ma Xingrui, vice-president of the Chinese Academy of Space Technology (CAST) stated (Reference 159) that: "China ... will launch small lunar explorer when possible."

In June 1998 plans were announced for the launch of a solar telescope to be jointly developed by Chinese and German scientists. With a target launch date of 2003, the $60 million telescope would have an aperture of one meter and a resolution ten times better than the SOHO spacecraft. China would pay some 80% of the program's cost, and be responsible for the development of the primary instrument on the two-ton spacecraft.

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