Beijing (TDI): China has carried out its first trial of a new lunar lander, a key step toward its goal of sending astronauts to the moon before the end of this decade, according to the country’s manned space program.
The test, held Wednesday at a site in Hebei province, examined the lander’s ability to ascend and descend under conditions designed to closely replicate the moon’s surface. The simulated terrain featured a special reflective coating to imitate lunar soil, along with artificial rocks and craters to match the real environment.
In a statement released Thursday, China Manned Space (CMS) described the exercise as a “critical milestone” for the manned lunar exploration program, citing the test’s long duration, varied operating scenarios, and high technical demands.
The spacecraft, named Lanyue, or “embrace the moon” in Mandarin, is intended to ferry astronauts between lunar orbit and the moon’s surface. Once there, it will double as living quarters, an energy source, and a communications and data hub, CMS said.
Although Beijing has revealed little about the broader mission timeline, news of the lander test comes as the United States races to maintain its lead in space exploration. NASA’s Artemis program aims to send astronauts on a lunar flyby in April 2026, followed by a crewed landing the following year.
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China has already made headlines with a string of robotic lunar missions over the past five years, becoming the only nation to bring back samples from both the moon’s near and far sides.
Those efforts have sparked collaboration interest from the European Space Agency, NASA-backed research institutions, and national space agencies from Pakistan to Thailand.
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If China achieves its target of a crewed moon landing before 2030, it would pave the way for construction of a “basic model” of the International Lunar Research Station by 2035. Led jointly by China and Russia, the proposed base would be equipped with a nuclear reactor to power its operations on the lunar surface.
Farkhund Yousafzai is an Associate Editor at The Diplomatic Insight.
