Jamaludin believes Malaysians would want to see a fellow Malaysian setting foot on the moon in line with the Malaysian spirit.

KUALA LUMPUR , August 27, 2005 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Malaysia said on Saturday, August 27, it is planning to send its first astronaut to the Moon by 2020.

"We must show to the world Malaysia can send its first astronaut to the International Outer Space Station," Science and Technology Minister Jamaludin Jarjis was quoted as saying by Malaysia’s Bernama news agency.

"We must look at our capabilities."

The minister said he believed Malaysians would want to see a fellow Malaysian setting foot on the Moon in line with the "Malaysia Boleh" (Malaysia Can) spirit.

He said a proposal on a lunar mission by 2020 would be forwarded to the cabinet soon.

Ambitious Program

Russia and Malaysia signed a deal in August 2003 to send the first Malaysian cosmonaut into space onboard Russia 's Soyuz spacecraft by 2007 as part of a scientific mission aboard the International Space Station.

Nearly 900 candidates are undergoing a series of rigorous tests to be selected in Malaysia 's 25-million-dollar space program.

Thirty-one candidates took part Saturday in the Astronaut Run at the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) base in a selection process to pick the country's first astronaut.

They completed a 3.5km run in 20 minutes.

The first man-made object to land on the Moon was the unmanned Soviet probe Luna 2 in 1959.

In 1968, the American crew of Apollo 8 became the first human beings to see the far side of the Moon.

Between 1969 and 1972, the Apollo program landed twelve men on the Moon, the first of whom were Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.

Since that time, the Moon has been the target of numerous landing and orbiting space probes.