BEIJING (Sputnik) — It will take China some 15 to 20 years to prepare a manned lunar mission and to develop the relevant technologies, Lt. Gen. Zhang Yulin told the China Daily newspaper.
According to the newspaper, the news marked the country's first confirmation of the existence of a Chinese manned moon exploration program.
Earlier this month, China's National Space Administration (CNSA) reaffirmed its plans to land on Mars by 2021, and added that landing on the moon was among its other short-term goals as well.
