China intensifies manned lunar landing program

JIUQUAN -- China is pressing ahead with its mission to land astronauts on the moon by 2030, moving quickly with development and construction efforts to turn this goal into reality, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced at a press conference on Tuesday.

Production and ground tests of prototypes of the Long March-10 carrier rocket, the manned spacecraft Mengzhou, the lunar lander Lanyue, the spacesuit to be worn by astronauts and the manned lunar rover are underway as planned, said Lin Xiqiang, spokesperson for the CMSA.

A series of major tests have been completed, including the integrated airdrop test for the spacecraft, the separation test for the two modules of the lander, the test firing of the three-engine power system for the rocket's first stage, and the high-altitude simulation test for the hydrogen-oxygen engine.

In addition, the overall plan for pre-launch flight tests as well as the scientific research objectives and payloads for the first manned lunar mission, has been basically finalized, Lin said.

Ground systems including the launch site, telemetry and control communications, and the landing site are being developed and constructed, he added.

According to Lin, the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology and the China Academy of Space Technology have jointly won the contract for the prototype development of the lunar rover, following a call for proposals.

The lunar rover development team for China's first manned lunar mission will eventually be selected from these two, based on a comparison of the results achieved by their respective prototypes, Lin said, while adding that they will also launch a call for suggestions concerning the rover's name next year.

China has already initiated the lunar landing phase of its manned lunar exploration program -- with a goal to achieve a manned lunar landing by 2030. The plan is to launch two carrier rockets to send a manned spacecraft and a lunar lander, respectively, into lunar orbit. The spacecraft and lunar lander will rendezvous and dock with each other, after which the astronauts will enter the lander.

According to Lin, a batch of ten astronauts will be engaged in a training regimen aimed at manned lunar landing missions.

These astronauts are scheduled to acquire skills in maneuvering spacecraft and operating lunar rovers, and will be trained to master techniques for identifying celestial bodies and conducting geological surveys. During their training they will also be exposed to the unique conditions of space, such as weightlessness in orbit, and the challenges of moving in lunar gravity on the moon's surface.

Last month, the CMSA unveiled the exterior design of a moon-landing spacesuit for the first time. This spacesuit is made of protective materials that can effectively shield astronauts from the lunar thermal environment and lunar dust.