China will be able to send humans to the moon ahead of India, a Chinese scientist said Thursday, following the successful launch of a second unmanned moon orbiter, according to Yonhap news agency.

China launched the spacecraft Chang'e-2 toward the moon last Friday from the southwestern province of Sichuan. The launch was made after the successful flight of China's first moon mission Chang'e-1 in March 2009.

"China will stand up against India for the manned landing," Ouyang Ziyuan, chief scientist of China's lunar exploration programme, said in a meeting with reporters.

India also has lunar ambitions, setting a date of 2020 for a human landing. Its first unmanned lunar probe landed on the moon in 2008.

The two countries are expected to rival each other to become the second country to put a man on the moon.

Other Asian countries have joined the race to travel out in space. Last year, Japan ended its first US$562 million lunar probe mission after 17 months.

South Korea is planning on a third space rocket launch next year after their second attempt to send a rocket into space failed in June.

Ouyang also stressed China has a reason to make the manned landing successful.

"Unless we have our people on the moon, we will not get invited to any international meeting about the moon, nor have the right to speak up," he said.

"Only after it gets to the moon, China can protect its legal rights." Ouyang, who has been the strong supporter of the Chinese manned lunar exploration programme.

He is also known to be lobbying for China's Mars exploration programme.

Experts said a successful Chang'e-2 mission would mark an advance in China's plan to establish itself as a space power in the same league as the United States and Russia.

Source : Bernama