Riding an asteroid: China's next goal in space

After sending a probe to Mars in 2020, China plans to explore three asteroids and land on one of them to conduct scientific research, according to a Chinese asteroid research expert.

The "China's Space Activities in 2016" white paper, recently issued by the Information Office of the State Council, also mentioned asteroid exploration in outlining the major tasks for the country's space industry in the next five years.

"The experts' plan is to fly a probe by an asteroid; to fly side by side with an asteroid for a period; and to land on a third one to conduct in situ sampling analysis on the surface," said Ji Jianghui, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Purple Mountain Observatory.