China is seemingly in competitive mode regarding the space race with other nations. The Asian country reportedly plans to land its astronaut on the moon in less than seven years.
China Plans to Land Astronauts on Moon Before 2030
According to US News, China intends to send astronauts to the moon before 2030, marking another milestone in what is perceived as a new space competition between the Asian autocrat and the United States and its democratic allies.
By the end of 2025, the United States wants to return astronauts to the lunar surface. However, it remains unclear if China is planning to beat America's timeline, as the country didn't give a specific date and only hinted that it would be earlier than 2030.
At a news conference on Monday, Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the Chinese Manned Space Agency, confirmed China's objective but did not provide a particular deadline. China is first preparing for a "short stay on the lunar surface and human-robotic joint exploration," according to Lin.
He added that they have a whole near-Earth human space station, a human round-trip transportation system, and a procedure for choosing, supporting, and training new astronauts. He believed that they could accomplish their goals with a yearly timetable of two crewed missions.
Last month, Wu Weiren, chief designer of China's lunar exploration program, also confirmed the news. He told Chinese broadcaster CCTV on China's national "space day" on April 24 that by 2030, Chinese astronauts would be able to set foot on the lunar surface, Space.com reported.
China is already developing the equipment required to put astronauts on the moon. While work is being done on a lunar lander, the nation is preparing a next-generation rocket to launch an enhanced personnel spacecraft.
The new spacecraft has already flown an unmanned voyage, and the new rocket is expected for a test flight in 2027.
China Sends 3 Astronauts to Tiangong Space Station
China is already prepping to send three astronauts aboard the Shenzhou-16 spacecraft. The rocket will carry the trio into orbit and deliver them to the Tiangong space station, where they will spend around five months.
The three taikonauts - Jing Haipeng, Zhu Yangzhu, and Gui Haichao - will launch from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert of northwest China at 9:31 a.m. on Tuesday, La Prensa Latina reported.
Jing, the most seasoned astronaut in China, will serve as the mission's commander and lead his fourth space trip. Jing and Zhu are in charge of the spacecraft maneuvers and management, while Gui is responsible for experimental payloads. It will be Zhu and Gui's first space mission.
The group will spend a few days with the crew operating the space station for six months. They arrived at the complex on the Shenzhou-15 for the Tiangong's first in-orbit crew handover.
The Shenzhou-16 crew will be the first to arrive at Tiangong following the end of its construction in late 2022, initiating the station's application and development phase, which began in April 2021.
RELATED ARTICLE: NASA's DART Spacecraft Worked! Asteroid Killer Changed the Harmless Space Rock's Orbit More Than Expected
Check out more news and information on Space in Science Times.
