China Advances Plans for Crewed Lunar Mission by 2030
China is progressing toward its goal of landing astronauts on the Moon by 2030, with key tests completed and infrastructure development underway.
China is steadily advancing its plans to land astronauts on the Moon by 2030. The China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced that development of major flight vehicles, including the Long March 10 heavy-lift carrier rocket, the Mengzhou crewed spacecraft, and the Lanyue lunar lander, is progressing smoothly.
Recent tests have been successfully completed, such as the pad abort and maximum dynamic pressure escape flight tests for the Mengzhou spacecraft, the landing and takeoff test for the Lanyue lander, and the static ignition and low-altitude flight tests for the Long March 10 rocket.
In 2026, China plans to conduct two crewed spaceflights and one cargo resupply mission, while accelerating the construction of facilities and equipment required for lunar landing missions at the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan province.
Additionally, China is collaborating with Russia and other international partners to build the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) near the Moon's south pole. The ILRS is expected to be constructed in two phases: a basic station by 2035 and an expanded version by 2045.
The ILRS will consist of sections on the lunar surface, sections in lunar orbit, and sections on Earth, with infrastructure such as an energy power system, a command and information system, and a lunar surface transportation system.
China's lunar exploration program aims to achieve breakthroughs in strategic technologies, exploit lunar resources, and conduct comprehensive scientific research, with the ultimate goal of validating technology and capabilities for a manned mission to Mars after 2040.