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 played a very minor role in the Russian-led Mars-98 mission.
By 2003 China had prepared plans to accelerate a mission to Mars using its lunar program to acquire experience and the technicians necessary to be united to the elite of space nations. Although the scientists affirm that a sounding to Mars still will take years, already are making the plans. "We at the moment do not have a chronology for a sounding to Mars but a project as this one would benefit from the efforts of the country in preparing a mission to the Moon", Liu Zhenxing, an expert of the Chinese Academy of Sciences said. The program would consist of three phases: to orbit, to descend and to return from Mars. First stage would consist of the shipment of a orbitor that would analyze the space atmosphere. The following phases would imply robotic explorers to collect rocks.
The Chinese space authorities have confirmed that they do not have glided to send no sounding to Mars before the 2015, to continue trim in the exploration of the Moon during next the 15 years. Luan Enjie, Administrator of the Chinese Space Agency (CNSA) has said that the planetary exploration could be part of the projects that will carry out within one decade.
According to its declarations, the project will be known like "2-1-1". The "2" make reference to two models: the construction of satellites in common platforms and the modularización of the launching vehicles. This way, whenever it is wanted to accomplish some mission, it will only be necessary to construct to the instruments since the ship in if already it is constructed and designed. The modularización means to have a variety of launching systems that can be combined between if to use in the each most suitable mission, to diminish costs and to increase the reliability. The first "1" represents a unified system of earth facilities, where all the communications with the missions are made and the stations of reception of data and communications are grouped. The last "1" represents the exploration of other planets in the Solar System. The investigation plan will have to be concluded for the 2015 although this date could go ahead until the 2010 given the speed with which the Shenzhou missions are carried out.
