Visitors inspect a model of the Chang'e I, China's first lunar orbiter, at the Ninth Hi-Tech Fair, which runs through today in Shenzhen. Final preparations are being made for the launch of the Chang'e I at the end of October. - Xinhua

Researchers and technicians are making final preparations for the launch of China's first lunar orbiter, the Chang'e I, at the end of October, a senior official said in Beijing yesterday.

Zhang Qingwei, minister in charge of the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense, said his team has nearly finished pre-launch tests on the carrier rocket and orbiter.

Zhang was in the capital to attend the 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.

Advanced cameras and X-ray spectrometers have been installed in the unmanned orbiter for mapping three-dimensional images of the lunar surface, analyzing moon dust and studying the space environment between the Earth and the moon.

The lunar orbiter is scheduled to blast off next week from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province, the Shanghai Morning Post reported yesterday.

"October 22 to 25 is the best period for the launch according to an analysis of weather, but the detailed time can't be revealed now," an official at the center said.

The satellite, named after the legendary Chinese goddess who flew to the moon, will orbit the Earth five to seven times before heading to the moon within 12 days.

A Long March-3 carrier rocket and the Chang'e 1 orbiter have been set up on the launch pad, the official said.

The Beijing Evening News said the Chang'e 1 would be launched on October 24 at 6pm.

"The appropriate times for a launch are in April or October. We finally choose October after consideration of weather and celestial conditions," Zhang said, pointing out that the lunar exploration is based on "the peaceful use of space. "

China became the third country following the former Soviet Union and the United States to carry out a manned space mission when it launched an astronaut in the Shenzhou V in 2003.

The Chinese government has listed the lunar journey among its 16 key state science projects to be carried out by 2020.

Also yesterday, Vice Minister of Science and Technology Li Xueyong said China hopes to become the 17th nation to join the International Space Station project.

The project involves the United States, Russia, Japan, Canada, Brazil and 11 countries from the European Space Agency.

The station's first component, the Zarya control module, was put into orbit by a Russian Proton rocket in November 1998.

The station is located in orbit around the Earth at an altitude of about 360 kilometers.

At least two people have been on board the station since the first crew went up on November 2, 2000.