A prototype of China's proposed lunar orbiter also went on display at the air show.
The orbiter, named "Chang'e 1" after the legendary Chinese goddess who flew to the moon, will be launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province in 2007.
Shi Jianzhong, is an official with the China Aviation Industry Corporation II.(TWO)
"We plan to start moon exploration by April 2007, and our current priority is the development of the orbiter."
The launch will be the first step in China's three-stage moon exploration program. The orbiter will be followed by a remote-controlled lunar rover that will carry out experiments and send data back to Earth by 2012. In the third phase, by 2020, a module will drill out a sample of lunar rock and bring it back to Earth.
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