Nov.9 - China plans to send its first-ever Mars probe to the red planet in 2009 with close cooperation with Russia, an official from CNSA, China National Space Administration said on Thursday.According to China Central Television's Thursday report, Director General of Foreign Affairs Department of CNSA, Zhang Wei disclosed the information after China's first lunar probe Chang'e I successfully entered its circumlunar orbit.The official said that China will cooperate with Russia in its Mars program, and a Russian rocket will launch the Chinese Mars detector to its Mars-circling orbit. Zhang says the Mars probe will lead China one step further in its deep space exploration.Under the cooperation, China and Russia will each develop one satellite. The two satellites will shoulder different missions. The Russian one will land on Phobos, the satellite of Mars, and the Chinese one will keep circling the planet to take photos, resembling the lunar obiter Chang'e I.The preliminary research and preparation works of the program are already under way.