China says lunar exploration not for military use

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's lunar exploration is to drive scientific and technological innovation, and not for military purposes, space officials said on Thursday, giving a glowing report on the country's moon-bound orbiter.

China launched its first moon orbiter last week amid a blaze of propaganda celebrating the country's space ambitions and technological prowess, and barring technological failure, it will reach its lunar orbit on November 5.

"All of the (program's) goals are designed without military purposes," China National Space Administration spokesman Pei Zhaoyu said at a news conference in Beijing.

"We hope to create new scientific goals and technological capacities and capabilities and try to do something that nobody has ever done before," Pei said. "China has always adhered to the principle of peaceful use of space."

Pei said the spacecraft left the earth's orbit on Wednesday evening and had begun it's five-day journey to the moon.

"All the systems onboard are currently in excellent conditions and the spacecraft is on the expected trajectory."

Upon entering lunar orbit, the orbiter is scheduled to scan the lunar surface in preparation for an unmanned moon vehicle planned for 2012 and a manned landing in future decades.

China's space program has come a long way since late leader Mao Zedong lamented that China could not launch a potato into space, let alone a satellite.

In 2003, it became the third country after the United States and the Soviet Union to launch a man into space aboard its own rocket.

Following the lunar orbiter's launch, China this week announced it would build a new family of rocket launchers capable of sending heavier satellites and space stations into orbit.

But Beijing's space plans have faced increased international scrutiny spurred by fears of a potential space race with the United States and other powers since it blew up one of its own weather satellites with a ground-based missile in January.