Getting to Low Earth Orbit: "Low Earth Orbit
Although parking a spacecraft in low earth orbit is by no means a simple task, almost all space missions so far have involved placing a spacecraft is terrestrial orbit. There are no technological problems involved and the only requirement would be an efficient propulsion system capable of delivering the thrust required to overcome Earth's gravity and obtain the velocity needed to achieve the desired orbit. "

eTaiwanNews.com/India masters rocket technology for moon mission, says agency: "India masters rocket technology for moon mission, says agency

2003-12-07 / Associated Press /
India's space agency says it has mastered the rocket technology needed to launch high-altitude satellites and send a man to the moon.
The technology also can be used to deliver a nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile, scientists say.
The cryogenic engine, which uses liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, was successfully fired for 1,000 seconds on the ground, exceeding the 721 seconds required for space flights, the Indian Space Research Organization said in a statement Friday. "
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The homegrown technology would not only allow India to replace the Russian engines but could also give India the capability to build ICBMs by modifying the launch vehicle and replacing the satellite with a bomb. India conducted nuclear tests in May 1998.
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BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | China sets its sights on the Moon: "China has outlined plans to land a man on the Moon by 2020, the country's chief space official said in comments broadcast on state television. "

"By 2020, we will achieve visiting the Moon," remarked Luan Enjie, director of the Chinese National Aerospace Bureau.

Translators said that Luan used a verb that specifically describes a human mission to the Earth satellite.

He said it would follow the launch of a probe to orbit the Moon by 2007 and an unmanned lunar landing by 2010.

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