China's space industry to achieve leap-forward development

China will launch Tiangong 1 target spacecraft and Shenzhou VIII unmanned spacecraft in the coming five years and the two spacecrafts will undertake China's first docking mission with each other. After this, China's space industry will achieve leap-forward development from a manned space program to building a space laboratory, China's Central Television reported on Tuesday.

Chinese on Monday unveiled pictures of the moon's Sinus Iridum, or Bay of Rainbows, marking the success of China's Chang'e-2 lunar probe mission.

"The relaying back of the pictures shows that the Chang'e-2 mission is a success," Zhang Jiahao, director of the lunar exploration center under the China National Space Administration, said.

In the coming five years, China will launch Chang'e III and realize a moon landing, the second step of China's lunar mission. In addition, China will complete the first launch of a new generation of carrier rockets, which will send China's satellites to more distant planets, according to CCTV reports.

By Liang Jun, People's Daily Online