A spokesman of the China National Space Administration (CNSA) said Wednesday it plans to launch three programs to monitor, prevent and curb the movements of wastes in the outer space, which are left by space research activities.

The CNSA will carry out three programs between 2006 and 2020, and meanwhile, it will also work out data banks and national standards for the implementation of the programs, the official said.

So far, over 9,300 objects have been detected in the orbit, and six percent of them are space vehicles that are still operating. These debris are threatening the safety of spacecraft.

As one of the major powers in space industry, China has completed lots of research work on the issue of orbital debris and the launching of the three programs is expected to boost international cooperation in this field.

(Xinhua News Agency December 25, 2003)