China has successfully completed integrated landing and ascent tests for its Lanyue lunar lander, a pivotal achievement for its crewed lunar exploration program. The tests, conducted on August 6, 2025, at a specialized facility in Huailai County, Hebei Province, simulated crucial landing and takeoff phases under lunar conditions, validating the lander's performance and system compatibility. This marks a significant step toward China's objective of landing astronauts on the moon before 2030.
The Lanyue lander, named "embracing the moon," is designed to transport two astronauts, a lunar rover, and scientific payloads to the lunar surface and return them to orbit. Its design prioritizes astronaut safety, incorporating redundant engines to ensure a safe return even in the event of a single engine failure. These successful simulations confirm the lander's landing and takeoff systems, control plans, and lunar contact shutdown procedures. This advancement is part of a broader, steadily progressing manned lunar exploration program, which includes the development of the Long March-10 carrier rocket, the Mengzhou manned spacecraft, the Wangyu moon-landing spacesuit, and the Tansuo manned lunar rover. Construction of necessary launch and support facilities at the Wenchang Space Launch Site is also advancing as planned. China's commitment to deep-space exploration extends to international collaboration, notably through the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), a joint initiative with Russia aimed at establishing a lunar base by 2035, which currently includes 17 member countries and organizations.
The Long March-10 rocket is being developed as a super-heavy lift launch vehicle capable of carrying 70 tons to low Earth orbit and 27 tons for trans-lunar injection. The Mengzhou spacecraft, a modular vehicle with variants for near-Earth and deep-space missions, has also undergone critical tests, including a zero-altitude escape trial. The Wangyu spacesuit and Tansuo lunar rover are also progressing through their development phases. The Wenchang Space Launch Site, China's southernmost spaceport, is being expanded to support these ambitious missions. The nation's overall space science development plan, spanning from 2024 to 2050, outlines a phased approach, with the manned lunar exploration project being a key focus in the initial phase leading up to 2027. These successful tests and ongoing developments highlight China's technological prowess and its increasing prominence in the global space arena.