China’s Plan to Send Astronauts to the Moon by 2030

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China’s human spaceflight agency has unveiled a new video outlining its ambitious plans for a crewed moon mission, showcasing developments in lunar hardware. Released by the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) on November 21, the video includes animations and real-world tests of the technology necessary for the mission.

The planned moon landing, targeted for before 2030, will involve two Long March 10 rocket launches. One will carry the Mengzhou crewed spacecraft, while the other will launch the Lanyue lunar landing stack. These spacecraft will dock in lunar orbit, with two astronauts transferring to Lanyue for their descent to the moon’s surface.

The video also features scenes of Lanyue on the moon, where astronauts deploy and operate a lunar rover. The astronauts will drive along planned routes, further illustrating the mission’s objectives and technological capabilities.

In addition to these mission animations, the video highlights various hardware tests, such as a hotfire test for the Long March 10 rocket’s first stage, parachute deployment for airdrops, and separation tests using a Lanyue prototype. Also shown are details of the lunar extravehicular suit and Mengzhou spacecraft.

Finally, the video showcases the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center’s expansion plans on Hainan Island. This spaceport will be upgraded to handle the Long March 10 and future Long March 9 super heavy-lift rockets, positioning it as a key launch site for China’s space exploration missions.

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