China is smoothly advancing its manned lunar landing project, aiming at landing Chinese astronauts on the Moon by 2030, a spokesman with the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said on Tuesday.
China is comprehensively advancing the development and construction work of the project, including those on carrier rockets, spacecraft, and various ground systems, Lin Xiqiang, the spokesman told a press conference held in the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.
"With the target of realizing the landing of Chinese on the Moon before 2030, we are comprehensively advancing various development and construction work of the project. So far, the prototype production and ground tests of the Long March-10 carrier rocket, the manned spacecraft Mengzhou, the lunar lander Lanyue, the moon-landing spacesuits and manned lunar rover are underway as planned. We have completed various large-scale tests, including the integrated airdrop test for the spacecraft, the separation test of the two capsules of the lander, the test firing of the three-engine power system for the rocket's first stage, and the high-altitude simulation test for the YF-75E hydrogen-oxygen engine. A number of ground facilities and equipment have been built and put into use to ensure the production and tests mentioned above," said Lin.
"We have basically wrapped up the overall planning for pre-launch flight test, as well as the scientific research objectives and the payloads for the first manned lunar mission. The ground systems, including the launching site, the telemetry and control communications, and the landing site, are under development and construction as planned," he added.
China smoothly advancing manned lunar landing project: spokesman
