Vice administrator of China National Space Administration, Wu Yanhua, speaks at a briefing unveiling a White Paper on Chinese space development on December 27, 2016.

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China plans to launch first Mars probe by 2020

China plans to launch its new generation of heavy-lift carrier rocket Long March-9 intended for future manned lunar landing and deep space exploration missions around 2030.

Vice administrator of China National Space Administration, Wu Yanhua, has made the announcement while unveiling a White Paper on Chinese space development on Tuesday.

He says the exact date for the launch will be fixed depending on their own research and development timelines.

Long March-5, the lasted heavy-lift carrier rocket and also the largest one in China, was launched in November. It has a diameter of five meters with a liftoff weight of over 800 tons, and uses non-toxic and pollution-free propellant. It is said the Long March-9's diameter and height will be much larger than those of the Long March-5, and its thrust will also be much stronger.

The white paper China's Space Activities in 2016

Further tasks

The white paper titled "China's Space Activities in 2016" said China will also launch the first Mars probe by 2020 to carry out orbiting and roving exploration. It will conduct further studies and key technological research on the bringing back of samples from Mars, asteroid exploration, exploration of the Jupiter system and planet fly-by exploration.

Projects will also be launched to help solve major scientific questions, such as the origin and evolution of our solar system, as well as the search for extraterrestrial life, said the paper.

A focus will also be put on launching market-oriented business satellites. Improvements in communication satellites and a Chinese information network covering the whole world will also be established to ensure barrier-free communications.

China launches space lab Tiangong-2 into space on Sept. 15, 2016, paving the way for a permanent space station the country plans to build around 2022.

Achievements

The white paper also summarizes the major developments and achievements in the space industry from 2011 to 2016.

It notes the Long March carrier rocket series have completed 86 launches and sent more than 100 spacecraft into orbit.

Three manned spacecraft have been sent into the space, successfully docking with two labs, the Tiangong I and Tiangong II, during the past five years.

Work has also expanded the construction of fixed, mobile and data relay satellite systems, and navigation and positioning satellites.