America Watch: China Adjusts Space Program, Aims to Achieve Manned Moon Landing Before 2030!
May 28 (Beijing Time), U.S. publication "Space News" published an article.
China is establishing a comprehensive initiative called the "Chang'e Lunar Exploration Program," integrating activities of the Chang'e lunar probes with its manned spaceflight program.
Zhang Jingbo, spokesperson for the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA), stated: "We will fully leverage decades of technical expertise and practical experience accumulated through manned spaceflight and the Chang'e lunar rover projects. Existing efforts in manned lunar landing and unmanned lunar exploration will be integrated across three areas: missions, resources, and teams."
"We will spare no effort to achieve the goal of China’s first human landing on the Moon before 2030," Zhang added.
In April, China’s Chang’e-7 lunar probe was transported to the Wenchang Space Launch Center in China.
Testing and preparation work prior to launch is currently underway, with the mission scheduled for launch this year, reportedly in August.
The Chang’e-7 mission will include orbital flight, landing, roving, and a lunar hopper to study the environment and resources at the Moon’s south pole, while also conducting international cooperation.
The recently launched Tianzhou-10 cargo spacecraft headed to China's space station carrying an experiment on liquid sloshing within surface tension tanks under microgravity conditions—an experiment aimed at verifying technical specifications set by China for its crewed lunar lander.
Additionally, the Tianzhou-10 launch vehicle delivered China’s first in-orbit dynamic test apparatus for perovskite solar cells to the space station. The results of this test are expected to support the development of lightweight, efficient, and low-cost flexible photovoltaic technology for satellites, deep-space missions, and future lunar bases.
"Through verification over multiple space station missions in the coming two years," Zhang pointed out, "we will significantly enhance the maturity of relevant technologies and the reliability of missions, thereby laying a solid foundation for China’s first crewed lunar landing."
China plans to assign three crew members to the crewed lunar mission, with two astronauts expected to land on the Moon for scientific research and exploration.
To stay ahead of China, NASA is accelerating its pace.
Jared Isaacman, agency head, said that uncrewed missions to the Moon could begin as early as this year.
He stated that starting from 2027, the United States will conduct nearly monthly robotic [lunar] landings until establishing a lunar base at the south pole.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1866379256505408/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) alone.
