China will launch its fifth lunar probe, the Chang'e-5, in 2017 to bring back samples from the surface of the moon in the final step of the country's unmanned lunar project, the project's chief scientist said yesterday.

Chinese scientist Ouyang Ziyuan [file photo]

In a public lecture, Ouyang Ziyuan said: "The research outcomes of the Chang'e-5 will provide key and basic information for sending the first Chinese astronaut onto the moon and even build a lunar base in future."

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He said there was still no timetable yet for putting a man on the moon but the government has said it would happen shortly after the completion of the "three-step" unmanned lunar project, according to a white paper on the development of space industry.

China is to launch its third lunar probe, the Chang'e-3, in the second half of next year in the second step of the project which will see the country's first moon rover patrol the lunar surface, Ouyang said.

The Chang'e-3 will also observe space from the moon's surface as the lack of atmosphere allows better viewing than from Earth. The program could help build a telecommunication network that covers a future Mars probe, he said.

China's lunar probe projects have achieved several breakthroughs since 2006, with the successful launching of two lunar probes, the Chang'e-1 on October 24, 2007, and the Chang'e-2 on October 1, 2010.

The first lunar probe retrieved a great deal of scientific data and a complete map of the moon while the second created a full higher-resolution map of the moon and a high-definition image of Sinus Iridium, the area chosen as a landing site.