The space mission -- the first time European experiments have been integrated with Chinese satellites -- is expected to get underway by Wednesday, the China Daily said, quoting the program's chief scientist, Liu Zhenxing.

An "equatorial" satellite, or Probe-1, will be launched on a Long March 2C/SM rocket carrier from the Xichang Satellite Launching Center in Sichuan province, southwest China, followed by a "polar" satellite, which is expected to go up next year.

The two satellites in the project have been jointly designed by the Space Technology Institute of the China Aerospace Technology Corporation, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and eight European scientific research institutions.

The European Space Agency (ESA) has partially funded Double Star, agreeing an eight million euro (9.5 million dollars) cash injection in a July 2001 agreement.

Probe-1 is set to fly further than any other satellite in China's space history, and will monitor parts of the two magnetic fields of the Earth's atmosphere in a bid to better understand environmental changes in space, Liu said.

The Double Star Project is not the only project between China and the ESA.

On October 30, China agreed to participate in the Galileo satellite navigation system, a joint venture between the ESA and the European Union, and will contribute 200 million euros to the 3.3 billion euro project.

China has lofty plans for its space program following its successful launch this year of a man into orbit, becoming only the third country after Russia and the United States to achieve the feat.

SPACE.WIRE