The China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) has unveiled a video outlining its ambitious plans for a crewed lunar mission, aiming for a landing before 2030. The promotional video, released on November 21, showcases animations of the mission along with tests of the hardware necessary for lunar exploration.
The mission will utilize the Long March 10 rocket, which is currently under development. It will consist of two launches: one carrying the crewed spacecraft, Mengzhou, and the other transporting the lunar landing stack, Lanyue, into lunar orbit. Following the launches, the two spacecraft will dock, allowing astronauts to transfer to Lanyue for their descent to the moon's surface.
In the video, Lanyue is depicted on the lunar surface with a rover being deployed. The astronauts are shown operating the rover along designated routes. Additionally, the video features a hotfire test of the Long March 10's first stage, parachute deployment tests, and separation tests of a Lanyue prototype.
The lunar extravehicular suit designed for the astronauts is also presented, alongside various ground tests and facilities for the Mengzhou crew spacecraft. The video concludes with a diagram illustrating the planned upgrades to the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center in Hainan, which will accommodate the launches for the lunar mission. Wenchang, currently China's only coastal spaceport, is being expanded to support the larger Long March 10 and the future Long March 9 super heavy-lift launcher, resembling SpaceX's Starship.