Photo:Xinhua

China's scheduled space missions this year will not be affected by the novel coronavirus epidemic, the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province said Friday.

The center is preparing for an upcoming launch of the BeiDou-3 satellite. The technical staff are working around the clock to ensure the success of the mission.

The center, which administers the Xichang and Wenchang launch sites, will undertake about 20 missions in 2020, including the maiden flight of the Long March-5B rocket, the launch of China's first Mars probe and the completion of the BeiDou-3 Navigation Satellite System.

The country is going to send over 60 spacecraft into orbit via more than 40 launches this year.

Preparations for the test flights of the Long March-7A carrier rocket, a new-generation model of China's medium-sized high-orbit rocket, are underway.

Meanwhile, engineers are developing and conducting test missions of the Fengyun-4 and Gaofen-5 satellites as planned, the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation announced.

The spacecraft manufacturer said it has implemented measures to prevent novel coronavirus infection.