China outlines timeline for crewed lunar landing before 2030

Chinese space officials have confirmed plans to land astronauts on the Moon "before 2030," according to reports from the Seventh Manned Spaceflight Conference in Beijing.

Mission Timeline and Strategy

Wang Xiang, the chief designer for the lunar exploration program, laid out a series of missions to achieve the landing. Because China lacks a rocket with the power of the Saturn V, the crew and the lunar lander will launch separately to the Moon and perform a lunar-orbit rendezvous.

According to slides shared on social media, the planned mission sequence includes:

• Early 2027: An uncrewed test of the Mengzhou spacecraft and the Long March 10A rocket (a single-stick variant with no boosters) to low-Earth orbit.
• 2028: An uncrewed test of the Lanyue lunar lander and the larger Long March 10 rocket (a core stage with two boosters), including descent and ascent from the Moon's surface.
• 2029: A concurrent launch of two Long March 10 rockets, one carrying the uncrewed Mengzhou and the other the Lanyue vehicle, to dock in lunar orbit.
• Before 2030: A dual launch of Long March 10 rockets with crew on the Mengzhou spacecraft for the crewed landing mission.

Wang Xiang stated that the mission is planned for three astronauts, with two landing on the lunar surface.

Technical Progress and US Competition

The plan does not currently include a mission similar to Apollo 8 or Artemis II, which involve a crew flying to the Moon to enter orbit or pass by it before returning to Earth. However, the Mengzhou vehicle is expected to carry astronauts to Tiangong, China's space station, in low-Earth orbit.

In August 2025, the China Manned Space Agency successfully tested a high-fidelity mock-up of its 26-ton Lanyue lunar lander. The test used giant tethers to simulate lunar gravity as the vehicle fired its engines to land on a cratered surface near Beijing.

NASA has set a target of landing humans on the Moon by 2028. While the United States has more established vehicles in the Space Launch System rocket and the Orion spacecraft, the timeline for a US landing could be delayed to 2030 or later depending on the development of lunar landers by SpaceX and Blue Origin.

Why it matters

Both China and the United States are working toward establishing a long-term presence at the Moon's South Pole. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has committed the agency to the development of a lunar surface base over the next decade.

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Sources

• arstechnica.com: China publicly discloses plan for a lunar landing within three years - Ars Technica
• mezha.net: China publicly details plan to land astronauts on the Moon within three years
• bastillepost.com: China plans to achieve 1st crewed lunar landing before 2030: deputy chief designer

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.