New | China’s next moon mission could be delayed, says senior space programme official
Malfunctioning of China's moon rover 'Jade Rabbit' still a mystery
China’s next mission into space will not occur this year and may not involve a moon landing, a veteran official with the space programme has said.
It was widely expected that Chang'e 4 mission would include a moon landing. Long did not specify why a moon landing might be not take place.
"China had previously announced plans for an engineering test mission to the moon that was expected this year," said Dr Morris Jones, an Australia-based space expert. "These remarks suggest that the mission has been delayed," he said.
"This is not a big problem. Space missions slip their launch dates regularly," he added. "The first Chinese moon landing itself was delayed from its originally expected launch date."
Long's comments come only months after China’s first-ever lunar rover suffered technical difficulties on the moon surface in January, after landing successfully there in December.