BEIJING, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- China will launch its lunar probe Chang'e-3 around 2013, which is expected to conduct the first softlanding of a Chinese spacecraft on an extraterrestrial body.
The mission of Chang'e-3 is to land on the moon safely and carry out a large number of experiments, according to sources with State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence.
This mission serves as a key part in the second stage of China's three-phase lunar exploration program.
