jBeijing: Making public for the first time the timetable for the Communist nation's ambitious space programme, China plans to launch its indigenous space station by 2020.

The planned space station would be a small scale 20-ton space workshop, said Long Lehao, a leading designer of Long March 3A rocket which recently shot China's first lunar probe, Change 1, into space.

China, the third country after the US and Russia to put its astronauts into space using its own rocket, has made technology breakthroughs in developing new family of rocket launchers, the official China Daily quoted Long as saying.

In 1992,China had announced a three-step manned space flight plan. Two manned missions, including the first by Shenzhou in 2003,marked the first phase. The second step planned for 2008 with several astronauts involves testing spacewalk and other out-of-capsule space missions. After the second stage, China would be a substantial step closer to setting up its own space station, said Long.

The planned space station is expected to be the second operational one after the 400-ton International Space Station, a joint project of 16 nations, including the US, Russia, and Japan, that orbits 300 kms above the earth.

Speaking about the new family of rocket launchers, Long pointed out that key technological breakthroughs including the yet-to-be-built powerful Long March 5 carrier rockets, had put the project closer to production stage.

It is to be noted that China has already declared its keenness in joining the ISS project.

Source : PTI