China's manned moon landing project may be up in the air  

业内称中国载人登月计划或已取消 空间站是重点

(ECNS) -- An insider from China's aerospace industry said on Thursday that China might have already canceled plans for a manned lunar landing, the Xinmin Weekly reported.

China has no plan to send a man to the moon anytime soon because policy makers in the industry tend to focus their attention and resources on building a large space station, according to an anonymous source at the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology.

Ouyang Ziyuan, senior advisor of China's lunar probe project, said in 2006 that China was planning to send a man to the moon between 2021 and 2025. However, he changed his tune in January 2013 at a press conference, saying that there was actually no specific schedule for a manned lunar landing project.

The scientist's changed attitude has raised the public's doubts about China's real schedule for a manned lunar landing.

The change "is a significant adjustment for China's space exploration," the insider said.