China may set up moon base camp by 2030

New Delhi, June 12 (ANI): If reports are to be believed, China may send manned flights to the moon and set up a base there by 2030, and also may land on Mars by 2050.

In a roadmap for the development of China's space technology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) said that China's manned spacecraft could also launch from a moon base to explore further planets in 2050.

The roadmap was part of a report titled "Creation 2050: Science, technology and China's Future", a long-term strategy for the country's development of science and technology.

According to Guo Huadong, leader of a CAS space technology strategy research team, the roadmap is "not an official plan, but more of a strategic suggestion to the decision makers."

"The roadmap has provided perspectives, based on China's current abilities, the international community's outlook in the field and the country's strategic needs," said Guo.

On the topic of deep-space exploration, the roadmap estimates that China's probes may reach Mars by about 2020 and be used to explore other planets like Jupiter by 2030.

It suggests that the probes may fly out of the solar system and enter cosmic space by 2050.

As for a manned flight mission, the roadmap said China could have the capacity to develop technology that would guarantee astronauts' long-term survival in low-Earth-orbit space stations by about 2020.

It also said that China could further develop technology that would improve the autonomous navigation capability of space vehicles, near-space vehicles and flight hardware.

The Creation 2050 report covers 18 fields, including space, health, mineral resources, energy and agriculture, which could help the country become more competitive and assist in its sustainable development and security. (ANI)