China Prepares to Launch Chang'e-6 Lunar Probe. This picture shows a Long March 5 rocket, carrying the Chang'e-6 mission lunar probe, at the Wenchang Space Launch Centre in southern China's Hainan Province on May 3, 2024. Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty
China is moving ahead with its goal of a manned lunar landing before the end of the decade while planning new missions to its Tiangong space station this year.
Newsweek reached out to the Chinese Foreign Ministry via email for comment.
Why It Matters
China's space program has been advancing rapidly. In 2021, it launched its permanently crewed alternative to the International Space Station (ISS) and sent four spacecraft to the surface of Earth's satellite, including the first mission to the dark side of the moon.
The country has set the goal of mounting a human mission by 2030 and has reportedly been in talks with its ally Russia about jointly developing a lunar base sometime in the next decade.
What To Know
With its end-of-decade moon mission fast approaching, key equipment, including the Long March 10 superheavy launch vehicle, the Lanyue crewed lunar lander, and a lunar spacesuit, has entered initial development, the People's Liberation Army Daily, the official news outlet of China's military, reported.
The construction of the launch facilities for the manned mission in the southern island province of Hainan is progressing "in an orderly manner," the report said.
Meanwhile, crews for the next two space station missions, Shenzhou-20 and Shenzhou-21, have been selected. The taikonauts-Chinese astronauts-are already undergoing training, the China Manned Space Agency announced in a statement Monday.
The agency recently signed an agreement with Pakistan to train and host astronauts from the South Asian country aboard the Tiangong space station for a series of short-term missions over the next few years, marking the first foreign guests aboard the station.
What People Are Saying
Lin Xiqiang, spokesman for China's manned space program and deputy director of the China Manned Space Engineering Office said in October: "Although the current manned mission to the moon is advancing relatively smoothly in all aspects of the work, in practice, we are also soberly aware that the subsequent development and testing of the task is arduous, technically complex, the schedule is tense, and the challenges are enormous."
John, here is a comment for the geoscape section on China's space program:
Jacco van Loon, an astrophysicist and director of Keele Observatory, told Newsweek:
"While [China] has been experimenting with materials for the construction of a lunar base, they have yet to demonstrate the capability to send people on a trip around the Moon-which would be an obvious test to do before attempting to put boots on lunar soil. There is still a "long march" to go, but the Chinese plans are feasible and relatively low risk, unlike the unorthodox manner in which the Artemis program has been designed.
"China seems set on proving to the world that there is nothing that the Chinese cannot do. Ultimately, though, this is about boosting the country's economy through a booming space industry and the prospects of lunar and asteroid mining, and ensuring national security by a permanent presence in near-Earth space and on the Moon. It should not be a surprise if Chinese 'selenauts' walked on the Moon before anyone else does again, and it would be interesting to see how the others then respond."
What Happens Next
The stage is set for a new space race. The United States also hopes to establish long-term human stays on the moon by 2030 as part of the Artemis program spearheaded by NASA and joined by multiple international partners.
China plans to launch its next lunar lander, Chang'e-7, in 2026 to survey the moon's south pole, and search for water in soil samples.
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This story was originally published March 7, 2025 at 4:00 AM.