China is making significant strides in its lunar exploration program, targeting a crewed moon landing before 2030. The China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO) has announced a tender for a lunar remote sensing satellite to support this mission. The satellite will gather high-precision topographic and geomorphic data, map mineral resources, and identify characteristic minerals in low-latitude regions of the moon, aiding in landing site selection.
The CMSEO's announcement suggests potential commercial involvement in the project, though with limitations, indicating a move towards opening lunar exploration to entities outside the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC). However, the bidding is not open to non-Chinese entities.
In addition to the satellite tender, China's human spaceflight agency (CMSA) has revealed the official names for the spacesuit and rover to be used in the crewed moon landing mission. The lunar extravehicular suit is named "Wangyu" (望宇), meaning "gazing into the cosmos," while the unpressurized rover is named "Tansuo" (探索), meaning "to explore." These names were chosen following a public call for suggestions.
Development of the hardware is progressing, with prototypes of the crew lunar rover undergoing testing at simulated lunar surface test sites. The Mengzhou ("Dream Vessel") crew spacecraft and Lanyue ("Embracing the moon") lunar lander are also under development. Ground facilities and equipment for production and testing are operational, and construction of the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site is proceeding as planned. These developments underscore China's commitment to becoming a leading space power and achieving a crewed lunar landing within the decade.