China aims to achieve a manned moon landing before 2030

China asserted on Thursday that preparations for its manned lunar exploration program are progressing smoothly and reaffirmed its goal of landing astronauts on the Moon before 2030, during a press conference held at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. This could put China ahead of the United States in the race to return humans to the Moon , given NASA's difficulties stemming from the delay of Elon Musk's Starship spacecraft.

Zhang Jingbo, spokesperson for China's Manned Space Mission Agency (MSMA), stated that the development and construction of the project's main systems are "generally progressing smoothly." According to Zhang, the Long March-10 rocket , Mengzhou spacecraft, Lanyue lunar lander, Wangyu spacesuit, and Tansuo rover have completed the fundamental tasks of the initial prototype phase, while the launch, control, and recovery systems are "progressing well." Several key tests have been successfully conducted this year, including the Long March-10 second-stage propulsion system test, the Mengzhou spacecraft's zero-altitude escape test, and the combined landing and ascent verification of the Lanyue lander.

In theory, NASA's Artemis 3 mission—designed to land the first woman on the Moon— is scheduled for mid-2027. But realistically, most space industry analysts expect that date to be delayed by at least several years. The main reason is that the spacecraft tasked with landing on the Moon is a special version of Starship, and this SpaceX mega-rocket has yet to even reach Earth orbit after 11 test flights.

The only American alternative, for now, is the New Glenn launch vehicle—from Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin space company—which did achieve that milestone on its first test flight last January. However, it too is still years away from being able to send a human-carrying lander to the Moon. Recently, NASA's interim administrator, Sean Duffy, hinted in an interview at the possibility of opening the Artemis 3 contract to other providers —such as Blue Origin—that could compete with Musk's company.

Zhang said that in the coming months, new critical tests will be carried out, such as the integration of the Lanyue module, the thermal exhaust and maximum dynamic pressure tests of the Mengzhou, and the low-altitude verification flights of the Long March-10.

"The goal of achieving China's first manned moon landing before 2030 remains firm, although the process involves a heavy workload, high quality requirements and a very demanding flight schedule," the spokesman said.

Zhang stressed that all project teams “will uphold the spirit of the historic missions of the Chinese space program” to ensure the achievement of the objectives and “lay a solid foundation for a manned moon landing.”

China has strengthened its space program in recent years, achieving milestones such as the landing of the Chang'e 4 probe on the far side of the Moon and the arrival on Mars with the Tianwen-1 mission, and is planning, together with other countries, the construction of a scientific base at the lunar south pole.