China Sets Out Three Uncrewed Lunar Tests Before Crewed Moon Landing by 2030

China has outlined a step-by-step plan for sending astronauts to the Moon before 2030, beginning with three uncrewed mission tests. The roadmap was presented by Wang Xiang, deputy chief designer of China’s human spaceflight program, at a conference in Beijing on October 31, according to slides shared on Weibo and reported by media outlets including SpaceNews and Ars Technica.

The first test is planned for early 2027. A Long March 10A rocket is expected to carry the Mengzhou spacecraft into low Earth orbit, where it will attempt to dock with Tiangong, China’s space station. Mengzhou is intended to carry astronauts to the Moon and eventually replace Shenzhou for crewed trips to the station. Its final version has not yet reached orbit; a prototype did so in May 2020. The spacecraft has also undergone ground and in-flight emergency escape tests.

In 2028, China plans to launch its Lanyue lunar lander for a test of its ability to descend to the Moon’s surface and return to orbit. The country’s human spaceflight agency invited institutions to propose instruments and experiments for the mission, but the payloads have not yet been announced.

The next uncrewed rehearsal is planned for 2029, using two separate Long March 10 launches: one carrying Mengzhou and the other Lanyue. The spacecraft are expected to rendezvous and dock in lunar orbit, separate, and then carry out a simulated landing and ascent, followed by another docking with Mengzhou.

China’s proposed approach differs from NASA’s earlier crewed lunar flybys: all of China’s planned rehearsals are uncrewed, and its first astronaut mission to the Moon is expected to include a landing. The current plan calls for one Long March 10 to send Lanyue toward the Moon, followed by a second carrying Mengzhou and three astronauts. One astronaut would remain aboard Mengzhou while the other two transfer to the lander and spend three days on the lunar surface, including short excursions around the landing site.

China has not provided dates for later stages of its crewed lunar program. Officials have described a progression from making missions reliable, to improving mobility on the Moon, and eventually establishing a lasting presence. The detailed schedule extends only to the end of the decade, and the planned timeframe could overlap with NASA’s target of returning astronauts to the Moon in 2028 with Artemis IV.

Sources: Numerama.