China to Put Man on the Moon by 2030

China may boldly go where no Chinese have gone before and realize its long-held aspiration of landing a man on the moon by 2030, according to Ye Peijian, chief scientist of deep space exploration at the China Academy of Space Technology. Ye also pointed out that China's moon exploration is for peaceful purposes, rather than a threat, and that its technology still lags far behind that of the United States and Russia. According to China's three-phase plan for moon exploration, the first witnessed the launch of Chang'e-2. The second will be when Chang'e-3 lands on the moon in 2013. Then, in 2017, samples of moon rock will be returned to Earth. Space experts said China will conduct more than 20 space missions this year as it accelerates efforts to improve its space technology.