Super 'eye' to make space rendezvous easier

Chinese space experts have developed an especially sensitive "eye" that enables the autonomous rendezvous and docking of two spacecraft, traveling eight times faster than a bullet, more efficiently and safely.

The eye is China's third-generation rendezvous and docking charge-coupled device, or CCD, optical imaging sensor. It will be used on the second orbiting space lab, Tiangong 2, the Chang'e 5 lunar probe and the permanent manned space station, according to the China Academy of Space Technology.

China plans to launch Tiangong 2 next year and send Chang'e 5 to collect samples from the moon in 2017. It also aims to put a permanent manned space station into service around 2022.