China's Lanyue Moon Lander Completes Comprehensive Landing/Takeoff Tests
China’s Lanyue lunar lander has successfully completed a comprehensive landing and takeoff verification test at its landing test site in Huailai County, north China's Hebei province. This marks a significant breakthrough in the country's crewed lunar exploration program.
The lunar lander is a newly developed crewed descent and ascent vehicle designed for China's first manned lunar exploration mission with plans to conduct a crewed lunar landing before 2030. It is primarily used for transporting astronauts between lunar orbit and the lunar surface, capable of carrying two astronauts back and forth. It can also carry a lunar rover and scientific payloads, supporting astronauts’ stay and activities on the Moon.
During the test, the engine was ignited, simulating the landing of the lunar lander on the Moon and its subsequent takeoff. The test validated the lander's landing and takeoff system, control plan, lunar contact shutdown procedures, and the compatibility of interfaces between subsystems, including Guidance, Navigation, Control (GNC) and propulsion.
The test marks China's first landing and takeoff experiment for a crewed spacecraft. It is a milestone in the initial sample development of the lunar lander and a key point in the country's crewed lunar exploration program.
With complex test conditions, a long duration, and high technical difficulty, the test covers the performance verification of the lunar lander under a range of scenarios throughout the landing and takeoff process.
"For instance, during the launch phase, we need to verify its launch payload. So we conducted large-scale mechanical tests to ensure a smooth transition in the extremely complex environment during the launch. The lander will also orbit the Moon for a long period, so we performed many thermal tests to ensure that it can withstand the thermal environment of the cislunar space," said Huang Zhen from China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).
Duration: 1 minute, 38 seconds
Release Date: Aug. 8, 2025
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