China unveils plans to land astronauts on the moon by 2030

Chinese officials unveiled new information about their manned lunar mission plan on Wednesday, as China take steps to emerge as the second nation to put citizens on the moon.

China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) deputy chief engineer Zhang Hailian disclosed the preliminary plan during an aerospace summit held in the city of Wuhan on Wednesday, as per state-run news agency Xinhua.

The mission, which is likely to happen before 2030, is part of the project aimed at establishing a lunar research station. Zhang said that the mission will be investigating what is the best way to build the facility and continue further moon exploration tasks and other experiments.

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A moon surface lander and manned spacecraft will be sent by two launch vehicles into lunar orbit, before they dock with each other, as per state-run Global Times. After the spacecraft docks, the Chinese astronauts on board the spacecraft will go into the lander which they will use to descend on the surface of the moon.

Scientific exploration on moon

While staying on the moon, the astronauts will collect samples and conduct “scientific exploration,” before they go back on lander and reunitewith the spacecraft waiting in orbit which will fly them back to Earth, reported Global Times.

Chinese researchers, to prepare for the mission, are busy creating all the necessary equipment like manned lunar rovers, moon landers, moon suits and manned spaceships, Xinhua reported.

The state media reports did not mention how many astronauts China has been planning to send on the mission.

This lunar mission is the latest development in China's efforts to advance the country's space programme, which has gone through several breakthrough moments in the last few years.

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China had already been late in the space race - as it failed to send its first satellite into orbit till 1970. By that time, the United States had already succeeded in landing an astronaut on the moon.

In 2013, China was successful in landing a rover on the moon and emerged as the third country to do so. At that time, Chinese President Xi Jinping said, “The space dream is part of the dream to make China stronger.”

Under the leadership of Xi, billions have been spent by China on its ambitious space programme. In 2019, a rover was sent by China to the far side of the moon, which was a historic first.

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