It is on July 20, 1976 that human beings landed on the moon for the first time. Today, Chinese quicken their steps to land on the moon. Ouyang Ziyuan, chief scientist of China's moon exploration program and an academician at Chinese Academy of Sciences, told the reporter on July 19 that great progress had been made in the key technology of the first stage of China's moon exploration program (named the Chang'er I Project), the schedule of the project had been finished and all sorts of jobs had being carried out symmetrically.

According to Ouyang Ziyuan, China's moon exploration program has being put into practice in full swing after demonstration and preparation of long term. At present, the schedule of the Chang'er I Project has been finished and all sorts of jobs progress well. However, academician Ouyang Ziyuan is now still unsure when the moon probing satellite of the Chang'er I Project will be launched. China's moon exploration program has started.

A rather big scientific research team for the moon exploration program has been set up. Under the unified harmonization of China National Space Administration (CNSA), such team deals with Chinese Academy of Sciences (including its research institutions located in Beijing, Shanghai, Xi'an and Nangjing) and the relative departments of several space research institutions.

CNSA has appointed the general commander, general designer and chief scientist of the Chang'er I Project that has three stages. Every subsidiary research institution has built up its research department respectively, which have started working under the unified harmonization.

The first stage of China's moon exploration program (the Chang'er I Project) started on March 1, 2003. The whole project is divided into three stages. On the first state that will be carried out in the recent two-three years, the moon probe satellite will be launched, exploring the terrain, physiognomy, geologic conformation and resource distribution, as well as the space environment between the moon and the earth. On the second stage, China will launch its moon car, achieve the soft landing, patrol and explore on the moon, building the basis for the further moon research. On the third stage, China will launch the small capsule and moon robot to collect the needed samples and return safely, research the samples and provide the data for the manned moon-landing and the location of China's moon base.

(People’s Daily July 22, 2003)