China has presented a detailed schedule of missions that should lead to the landing of astronauts on the Moon by 2030. The information was announced at the seventh conference on human spaceflight in Beijing.
The plan includes four stages. In 2027, the first flight of the Long March 10A rocket with the uncrewed Mengzhou spacecraft to low Earth orbit will take place.
In 2028, the launch of a more powerful version of the Long March 10 with the uncrewed Lanyue lunar lander is planned to practice descent and ascent from the lunar surface.
In 2029, two Long March 10 rockets will send Mengzhou and Lanyue to rehearse docking in lunar orbit.
The final mission — by the end of 2030 — envisages two launches with a crew of three. Two astronauts will spend three days on the lunar surface and perform spacewalks every day.
This approach with two separate launches and docking in lunar orbit matches China's capabilities and allows the production of the spacecraft to be standardized.
At the same time, NASA continues work on the Artemis program, aimed at returning American astronauts to the Moon in 2028. Pressure on both sides is growing.
On the same day, NASA announced a new experimental aircraft, the X-70 Fractal, which will become a platform for testing advanced aviation technologies.
