BEIJING, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- Thirteen domestic designers have vied to design for the moon rover used in China's Chang'e I Moon Orbiting Project.

    The remote-controlled moon rover shall be used to perform experiments and send data back to the earth following the moon orbiting project, said Ouyang Ziyuan, moon probe program chief scientist.

    Ouyang didn't disclose when China's first circumlunar exploration satellite, Chang'e I, would be launched this year, but he noted that it would be sent three days ahead of the 35-minute period which is suitable for launching, or called "the launching window", he was quoted as saying on Saturday by the Beijing Morning Post.

    The satellite will be used for the launch of China's first lunar orbiter in 2007, which will provide 3D images of the moon's surface, probe the distribution of 14 usable elements on the moon, study lunar microwaves and estimate the thickness of the moon's soil. The craft will also monitor the space environment between the moon and earth.

    The orbiting project and moon rover program are both part of China's overall lunar exploration program that began in 2004, which shall be followed by the third phase when a module will drill out a chunk of the moon and bring it back to the earth.

    All three will be completed by 2017, when China will consider a manned lunar probe mission.