China may boldly go where no Chinese have gone before and realize its long-awaited goal of making a manned moon landing by 2030, Ye Peijian, chief scientist of deep space exploration at the China Academy of Space Technology, said.

Ye also said China's moon exploration is for a peaceful purpose, rather than a threat, and the technology still lags far behind the United States and Russia.

According to China's three-phase moon exploration plan, the first witnessed the launch of Chang'e-2. The second will be when Chang'e-3 lands on the moon in 2013. Then, in 2017, a sample of rock from the moon will be returned to Earth.

Space experts said the country would conduct more than 20 space missions this year as it accelerated efforts to improve space technologies.