China Preps for 2030 Crewed Moon Landings, Confirms Human Spaceflight Progress
China has announced several milestones in its space program with six manned flights, four cargo resupply missions, and seven spacecraft returns completed. The Tiangong Space Station has hosted 18 astronauts for extended stays, completing 13 spacewalks and breaking world records for the longest single spacewalk by Chinese astronauts Cai Xuzhe and Song Lingdong on December 17, 2024.
Training for the fourth batch of ten astronaut candidates, including pilots and payload specialists from Hong Kong and Macau for the first time, began in late 2024 with participation in space station missions expected by 2026.
China is on track for its first crewed Moon landing by 2030 with progress on the Long March 10 rocket, Mengzhou spacecraft, and Lanyue lunar lander. Meanwhile, the follow-up Chang'e-7 mission to the Moon, expected to be launched in August 2026, will search for water ice at the lunar south pole using a "hopping" probe.
An astronaut training agreement was also signed with Pakistan as part of China’s effort to promote international cooperation for its International Lunar Research Station (ILRS). China remains open to collaborative projects for its Tiangong Space Station. It could become the only one left when the NASA-led International Space Station retires between 2030 and 2032.
Duration: 1 minute, 16 seconds
Release Date: Feb. 28, 2026
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