China sets out its test sequence for a crewed Moon landing: "near-Earth first, then the Moon"

China's Manned Space Agency (CMSA) on November 3 outlined the test sequence leading to a Chinese crewed Moon landing by 2030, Universe Today reports. The first step is a flight of the new Mengzhou capsule on a Long March 10A rocket to the Tiangong space station.

That will be followed by an uncrewed test of the Lanyue lander at the Moon. For the landing mission, two Long March 10 rockets will launch and Mengzhou and Lanyue will dock in lunar orbit; two of the three crew members will descend to the surface. "Near-Earth first, then the Moon," a CMSA official said.

What has been done

A low-altitude test of the Long March 10 was carried out earlier this year, and Mengzhou abort tests and a tethered Lanyue landing test took place in 2025. The Shenzhou-23 crew, including the first astronaut from Hong Kong, has been aboard Tiangong since May.