China is pressing ahead with its mission to land astronauts on the moon by 2030, making rapid progress in development and construction to make that goal a reality, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said at a press conference on Tuesday.
The production and ground testing of prototypes of the Long March 10 launch vehicle, the Mengzhou manned spacecraft, the Lunar Lander, the spacesuit to be worn by astronauts, and the manned lunar rover are going according to plan, said Lin Xiqiang, a CMSA spokesman.
A number of important tests have been completed, including an integrated spacecraft landing test, a test to separate two lander modules, a test launch of the rocket’s three-engine first stage propulsion system, and a high altitude simulation test of the hydrogen-oxygen engine.
In addition, the overall plan for pre-launch flight tests, as well as research objectives and payloads for the first manned lunar mission, has been largely completed, Lin said.
He added that ground systems, including the launch pad, telemetry and control communications, and the landing site, are being designed and built.
According to Lin, the Shanghai Academy of Space Flight Technology and the China Academy of Space Technology jointly won the contract to develop a prototype lunar rover following a competition.
The lunar rover development team for China’s first manned mission to the moon will be selected from the two organizations based on a comparison of the results achieved by their prototypes, Lin said, adding that they will also launch a competition for lunar rover naming next year.
China has already begun the lunar landing phase of its manned lunar exploration program, with the goal of having a manned lunar landing by 2030. It is planned to launch two carrier rockets to launch a manned spacecraft and a lunar lander into lunar orbit, respectively. The spacecraft and the lunar rover will converge and dock with each other, after which the astronauts will enter the lander.
According to Lin, a batch of ten astronauts will be involved in a training regimen aimed at manned lunar landing missions.
It is planned that these astronauts will acquire skills in spacecraft maneuvering and lunar rover control, as well as master methods of identifying celestial bodies and conducting geological research. During the training, they will also become familiar with the unique conditions of space, such as weightlessness in orbit, and the challenges of moving in lunar gravity on the lunar surface.
Last month, CMSA unveiled the exterior design of the lunar landing suit for the first time. This suit is made of protective materials that can effectively protect astronauts from the lunar thermal environment and lunar dust.
The post China intensifies manned lunar landing program first appeared on HiTechExpert.top.