China plans a three-person crew for its first Moon landing before 2030
China aims to land astronauts on the Moon before 2030, with a three-person crew and two astronauts descending to the surface, deputy chief designer Wang Xiang said at a Beijing symposium. The mission would launch the Lanyue lander and Mengzhou crewed spacecraft separately, with the vehicles docking in lunar orbit before the landing and again for the return journey, according to Xinhua.
Bottom line — China’s target is before 2030; the uncrewed lander flight and a full rehearsal are planned ahead of any crewed attempt.
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Wang’s plan uses two Long March 10 rockets, one for the lander and one for the crewed spacecraft, according to City News Service.
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The two astronauts would transfer to Lanyue, conduct scientific work on the Moon and ascend to meet Mengzhou in lunar orbit, Xinhua reported.
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SpaceNews reports that China plans a standalone uncrewed Lanyue flight and a full-scale uncrewed landing rehearsal before the crewed mission.
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Wang said development of the Long March 10, Mengzhou and Lanyue is progressing; completed tests include lander landing-and-takeoff and spacecraft escape tests, according to Xinhua.
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The crew’s identities and the third astronaut’s role were not announced, Chashu noted.