China Publicly Discloses Plan For a Lunar Landing Within Three Years
At the Seventh Manned Spaceflight Conference in Beijing, Chinese space officials publicly outlined the most detailed roadmap yet for landing astronauts on the Moon "before 2030." Ars Technica reports: China's lunar landings will involve a lunar-orbit rendezvous similar to what NASA did in the 1960s and early 1970s with the Apollo program. However, lacking a rocket as powerful as the Saturn V…
In Beijing, Chinese space officials unveiled a comprehensive plan for a lunar landing before 2030 during the Seventh Manned Spaceflight Conference. Ars Technica reports that the Chinese approach to lunar missions will mirror NASA's 1960s and 1970s Apollo program, utilizing a lunar-orbit rendezvous. However, China lacks a rocket as powerful as the Saturn V, so the crew and lunar lander will travel to the Moon separately.
The outlined plan includes:
- An uncrewed test of the Long March 10A rocket and the Mengzhou spacecraft to low-Earth orbit by 2027.
- An uncrewed test of the larger Long March 10 rocket and the Lanyue lunar lander, including descent and ascent from the lunar surface by 2028.
- Concurrent launches of two Long March 10 rockets, one carrying the Mengzhou and the other the Lanyue vehicle, which will dock in lunar orbit by 2029.
- A dual launch of Long March 10 rockets with crew on the Mengzhou spacecraft, leading to a crewed landing mission before 2030.
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