China shakes up its space programs to land astronauts on the moon by 2030: 'We will spare no effort'
China is establishing an integrated program called the Lunar Exploration Program, melding both its robotic Chang'e lunar probe activities with the country's human spaceflight program. Zhang Jingbo, spokesman for the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) agency, made the announcement at a May 23 pre-launch event for the Shenzhou-23 crew launch to the nation's Tiangong Space Station.
Speaking at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, Zhang said that "to fully leverage the technological expertise and practical experience accumulated over decades" via its human spaceflight and Chang'e lunar rover programs, "the existing manned lunar landing and unmanned lunar exploration efforts will be integrated across three areas of missions, resources, and teams."
"We will spare no effort to strive for the goal of achieving the first Chinese landing on the moon by 2030," Zhang added.
Demonstration tests
Zhang pointed to past low-altitude demonstration tests of the Long March-10 carrier rocket system and maximum-dynamic-pressure escape/abort tests of their larger Mengzhou crewed spacecraft system.
Those tests are paving the way for a reusable crewed transportation system and future crewed moon landings, said Zhang.
On the robotic side of moon exploration, in April, China's Chang'e-7 lunar probe was shipped to China's sprawling Wenchang Space Launch Site. Preparations for pre-launch testing are now underway, with the mission slated for launch in the second half of the year, reportedly this August.
The Chang'e-7 mission will include orbiting, landing, roving, and a lunar hopper to study the environment and resources of the lunar south pole, while also carrying out international cooperation, said Zhang.
Solid foundation
"Next, we plan to complete some key missions," said Zhang, "including technical verification flights of the Long March-10 carrier rocket and maiden flights of the Mengzhou spacecraft and Lanyue [Moon] lander," he said.
Zhang emphasized that China's space station missions are intended to lay a solid foundation for the country's first crewed lunar landing in 2030.
"Our space station has been operating steadily in orbit for nearly four years now, and it has deployed and verified a number of key technologies needed for crewed lunar landing," said Zhang.
As an example, Zhang said that the recently launched Tianzhou-10 cargo supply craft to China's space station carried an experiment on how liquid sloshes inside a surface tension tank amid microgravity. That experiment is meant to verify technical specifications China has set for its human moon lander, he added.
In addition, the Tianzhou-10 toted up to the station China's first dynamic, in-service test of perovskite solar cells. Findings from the test could support the fabrication of lightweight, high-efficiency and low-cost flexible photovoltaic technologies for satellites, deep-space missions, and future lunar bases.
Boosting technical maturity
Furthermore, the Long March-10A carrier rocket and the Mengzhou spacecraft that perform space station missions share integrated design and development engineering required for lunar exploration, said Zhang.
"Through verifications in multiple space station flight missions over the next two years," noted Zhang, "we will comprehensively boost relevant technical maturity and task reliability, so as to lay a solid foundation for China's first crewed lunar landing."
As reported by the China Global Television Network (CGTN), Ji Qiming, a spokesperson with the country's crewed space program, the space station supports future human landings on the moon in three major ways.
- It helps train experienced astronauts and skilled aerospace research teams.
- It enables tests and verification of key technologies for lunar exploration.
- Missions involving the Long March-10A rocket and the Mengzhou spacecraft will improve the safety, reliability, and technical maturity of systems intended for future moon landings.
Talent pool
For China's human moon landing, a three-member crew is planned, with two astronauts expected to land on the moon to perform scientific research and exploration, Ji said.
Crew members selected for lunar missions are likely to be selected from the cadre of space travelers that have carried out space station missions. However, the detailed plan is still being developed, Ji added.
"Our space station missions have trained a team of astronauts who have performed space missions and gained rich spaceflight experience, and can serve as a solid talent pool" for moon landing missions, said Zhang.
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Leonard David is an award-winning space journalist who has been reporting on space activities for more than 50 years. Currently writing as Space.com's Space Insider Columnist among his other projects, Leonard has authored numerous books on space exploration, Mars missions and more, with his latest being "Moon Rush: The New Space Race" published in 2019 by National Geographic. He also wrote "Mars: Our Future on the Red Planet" released in 2016 by National Geographic. Leonard has served as a correspondent for SpaceNews, Scientific American and Aerospace America for the AIAA. He has received many awards, including the first Ordway Award for Sustained Excellence in Spaceflight History in 2015 at the AAS Wernher von Braun Memorial Symposium. You can find out Leonard's latest project at his website and on Twitter.