HELSINKI — China is on track to achieve its goal of landing astronauts on the moon by the end of this decade, according to China’s Manned Space Flight Agency.
Officials from the China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO) provided a rare update on the manned moon program during a press conference at Jiuquan Spaceport on April 24.
“The program development of major flight products such as the Long March 10 rocket, Mengzhou manned spacecraft, lunar lander Lanyue, and lunar landing suit have all been completed,” said Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of CMSEO. “Prototype construction and testing is in full swing.”
Chinese authorities previously announced plans to land two astronauts on the moon by 2030. Two Long March 10 lunar rockets will separately launch Mengzhou, three astronauts, and the Lan Yue lander. The pair will then perform a lunar orbit rendezvous and dock before descending to the lunar surface. The two astronauts will spend six hours on the lunar surface before returning to Earth, joining their colleagues in lunar orbit.
“The development of mechanical and thermal test products for manned spacecraft and landers has basically been completed. Various rocket engines are undergoing high-temperature combustion tests, and the Wenchang Manned Lunar Exploration Launch Site is also under construction.” said Lin.
New launch infrastructure is needed to facilitate the mission. It is being built near China’s existing coastal spaceport in Wenchang, Hainan Island.
Furthermore, Lin said, “Proposals for a manned lunar rover and lunar payload submitted from the public are currently being selected.” CMSA has announced a call for proposals for a manned lunar rover with the potential to use commercial development models in May 2023.
Lin added that astronaut training for this mission will include mastering the operations of the Mengzhou and Lanyue spacecraft, including normal and emergency flight conditions. Rendezvous and docking, as well as manual avoidance of obstacles during the lander’s descent, were highlighted as part of the training. Other activities include entering and exiting the lander, working in his one-sixth of Earth’s gravity, long-distance lunar travel, drilling, sampling, and other scientific work on the lunar surface .
The manned moon landing mission is part of China’s broader plans to establish a robotic and eventually manned moon base. This effort is known as the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS).
Lin said manned moon landing is a challenging and innovative science and technology project. He said the company will work to coordinate development and manufacturing to achieve the mission on time.
Meanwhile, the United States is working on returning humans to the moon with the Artemis 3 mission. The mission was originally scheduled for the end of 2025, but was officially postponed in January to September 2026. A December 2023 Government Accountability Office report concluded that this mission is unlikely to be realized before 2027.
CMSEO’s press event, held on China’s National Space Day, was mainly to reveal the crew of the Shenzhou-18 mission. The mission will launch at 8:59 a.m. (1259 UTC) on April 25, and is scheduled to arrive at the Tiangong Space Station in about 6 and a half hours.
The crew will be commanded by Ye Guangfu, a veteran of the 2021 Shenzhou 13 mission. Completing the crew are former People’s Liberation Army Air Force pilots Li Guangsu and Li Cong. The latter pair will embark on their first spaceflight mission.
