China

The China Commission of Science Technology and Industry for National Defense recently released the Space Science Development Plan for the 11th Five-Year Plan, in which it outlined its blueprint for the development of China's space science program. According to the plan, China will continue to work on major space projects such as a manned spaceflight, moon exploration, space HXMT, and a recoverable space science experimental satellite.The plan outlines six goals in space science development during the 11th Five-Year Plan: firstly, it will implement medium and long-term scientific and technological development programs for a manned spaceflight and exploration of the moon. Chinese aircraft will begin circling the moon this year, so as to obtain three-dimensional images of the moon's surface and begin analysis and content studies. China plans to land and begin an automatic inspection of the moon before 2012, returning to earth by 2017.