- Published on
China lays out plans to land astronauts on the moon 'before 2030.' Can NASA still win this race?
- Authors
- Name
- DeepHorus
China has unveiled a four-mission roadmap to land astronauts on the moon "before 2030" at the 7th Manned Space Symposium in Beijing. The Oct. 31-Nov. 1 meeting kept pressure on NASA's Artemis program, which aims to return U.S. astronauts to the lunar surface in 2028. Three preparatory flights begin in 2027.
Officials provided mission-level details for the campaign, which China Manned Space Agency has previously described. The next-generation Mengzhou capsule, meaning "Dream Vessel," will carry crews to lunar orbit. The Long March 10 rocket family and Lanyue lander, meaning "Embracing the Moon," are central to the plan.
In 2027, a Long March 10A will launch an uncrewed Mengzhou to low Earth orbit for tests. A 2028 flight will debut the Long March 10 and send Lanyue to lunar orbit for an uncrewed landing and relaunch. In 2029, two Long March 10s will launch Mengzhou and Lanyue for a lunar-orbit docking rehearsal.
The fourth mission, before 2030, will use two Long March 10 launches for a crewed Mengzhou and uncrewed Lanyue. After docking in lunar orbit, astronauts will move into Lanyue. Three astronauts will launch, two will land, and the duo will spend three days on the surface conducting daily moonwalks.
The plan puts China and the United States on overlapping lunar timelines. NASA's Artemis II sent astronauts around the moon in April, and Artemis III is targeted for summer 2027 to test Orion docking with SpaceX's Starship or Blue Origin's Blue Moon in low Earth orbit. Starship reached Earth orbit on Sept. 28 but still must demonstrate key capabilities.
CNSpaceflight said "before 2030" may be deliberate wording. A 2029 landing would coincide with the 80th anniversary of the current government, while a slip into 2030 would remain within the goal. The phrase gives China political flexibility.
