China Plans to Land Astronauts on Moon by 2030; Space Station to Support Three Ways

At a press conference on May 23, China announced plans to achieve crewed lunar landing by 2030, with the Chinese space station supporting the mission in three key areas, according to state media.

The space station will provide talent reserves through its astronaut team with extensive spaceflight experience for future lunar mission crew selection. It has validated critical technologies for lunar missions over its nearly four years of operation, including tests conducted aboard the Tianzhou-10 cargo spacecraft. Additionally, the newly developed generation of crewed spacecraft, composed of the Long March 10A rocket and Mengtian spacecraft, will undergo multiple verification flights within the next two years to enhance its technical maturity and mission reliability for the first crewed lunar landing.