The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has selected candidates for its next round of space missions, which are projected to launch between 2026 and 2030.

Out of the 13 missions proposed, it is expected that between five and seven will be chosen for launch, SpaceNews reported.

The new missions will be part of CAS's third Strategic Priority Program (SPP III) project, also known as the New Horizons Program (The program has no relation to NASA's New Horizons mission.). A description of each of the 13 candidates was published in a paper in the Chinese Journal of Space Science on June 28, 2022.

Related: China is on the hunt for 'Earth 2.0' with proposed space telescope

Three of the proposed missions will conduct astrophysics and astronomy research:

Four of CAS's 13 potential missions are heliophysics efforts:

Four of the potential missions are aimed at studying Earth and other members of our solar system:

Finally, two missions would search the cosmos for habitable exoplanets:

Each of the 13 proposed New Horizons Program missions will be assessed by a CAS committee on criteria such as budgetary requirements, technological readiness level and how quickly the required technologies could be manufactured ahead of Chinas 15th Five-year plan, which begins in 2026. The New Horizons Program also includes funding for research projects that would support future science missions.

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Search for habitable exoplanets included in China's upcoming space missions - Space.com