China is set to select taikonauts for its first-ever manned moon landing mission, choosing from a pool of astronauts who have already participated in missions to the China Space Station. This revelation was made by Yang Liwei, China’s first astronaut and a current member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), in an interview with the People’s Daily aired on Monday evening.
Yang, who also serves as the deputy chief designer of China’s manned space program, shared that key components for the mission—including the manned spacecraft Mengzhou, the lunar lander, the launch vehicle, spacesuits, and the rover—are all in the prototype development stage. In addition, large-scale experiments have commenced, and construction of the supporting facilities is underway.
The scientific experiment plans for both the first unmanned and manned lunar flights have been largely finalized, according to Yang.
China has set an ambitious goal of completing a manned lunar landing before 2030. The mission will involve two carrier rockets launching a manned spacecraft and a lunar lander into lunar orbit. After rendezvousing and docking in space, the astronauts will transfer into the lander, which will then descend to the moon’s surface. Upon landing, the astronauts will operate the lunar rover for scientific exploration.
Wu Weiren, the chief designer of China’s lunar exploration program, emphasized during the same interview that while the primary focus is on the moon, China’s aspirations stretch far beyond, including missions to Mars and beyond. Wu also confirmed that a Mars sample return mission is already scheduled, with plans to execute it within a few years.
In addition, Sun Zezhou, a senior researcher at China’s top space contractor, the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), revealed that China aims to launch its Mars sample return mission around 2030.
Yang also noted that astronauts from Hong Kong and Macao are undergoing training at the Astronaut Center of China, preparing for future space missions. This follows the announcement of the fourth batch of taikonaut candidates.
Furthermore, Yang discussed the growing international collaboration in China’s space program, highlighted by a recent cooperation agreement with Pakistan, which will see a Pakistani astronaut trained to travel to the China Space Station.
The taikonaut selection process is expected to take around a year, with Pakistani astronauts undergoing thorough and systematic training in China.
“China’s rapid advancements in its manned space program are a direct result of the country’s technological and economic strength,” Yang concluded.
Stay tuned to The Asia Review for further updates on this groundbreaking story.
