China's Plans in Space

Luo Ge, vice administrator at the Chinese National Space Administration, has laid out his nation's current plans for space. They include robotic Moon missions, including the return of soil samples in 2017. Closer to home, a constellation of eight Earth-sensing satellites is planned, along with a heavy-lift launch vehicle able to place 25,000 kg in orbit. He said the budget for China's space program is about $500M U.S. per year, although it's not clear to American observers what is included and what might be paid through other budgets, such as the military's.