As per Ye Peijian, who is a prominent Chinese lunar program designer, as well as engineer, Chinese boots on the moon, are going to be “completely achievable” by 2030. “I believe that a Chinese crewed moon mission is totally achievable by 2030 as long as the technological development for crewed moon landings proceeds, as long as the nation is dedicated,” Ye informed CCTV state TV host Lu Jian on November 12.
Ye’s comments do not mean that China has officially authorized crewed lunar landings, however they do reflect recent achievements and continued development of the many capabilities and components required to safely deliver astronauts on the moon as well as return them to Earth. China is researching the viability of the crewed lunar landing mission, according to Ye, who trained for a doctorate in Switzerland, was the commander in charge of the early Chang’e lunar orbiter missions, and campaigned for a very first Chinese Mars trip in the early 2010s.
He goes on to say that that kind of a mission is particularly important for China since it affects the country’s long-term fate and standing. The remarks come after NASA said last week that the first human lunar landing under the Artemis Program would be postponed until at least 2025. China and Russia have previously collaborated on a vision for International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), that does comprise a strategy for long-period human presence on the moon in 2030s.
China has made tremendous advances on the Moon in domains related to human spaceflight capability. In May of last year, the government performed a flight test and also a high-speed re-entry of a new crew spaceship capable of deep space flights. The Chang’e-5 sample return mission later that year demonstrated the capacity to land on and lift off from the lunar surface, as well as complete a moon orbit rendezvous maneuver between 2 spacecraft for the return journey.
The country’s major space contractor, China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), is constructing two super heavy-lift deployment vehicles for the crewed lunar and big space infrastructure launches. Several of all these elements were on exhibition at the recent Zhuhai Airshow. China has also been rumored to be working on crewed lunar lander.
Another senior space sector official, Long Lehao, proposed a mission design in June that used two deployments of the latest crew rocket, dubbed “Long March 5 “Dengyue” (“moon landing”),” to send two people on the lunar surface for 6 hours. According to the presentation, such a mission could be doable by 2030 with the new crew spacecraft. If development on the numerous parts continues, China’s next five-year strategy, 2026-2030, may comprise the moon landing as a component of its space aspirations.
