Manned lunar exploration mission steadily progressing

Design work, construction of primary components proceeding as scheduled

China is making steady progress in its manned lunar exploration program, with all research and construction work advancing as planned to achieve the goal of sending Chinese astronauts to the lunar surface by 2030, according to the China Manned Space Agency.

The agency said in a news release on Monday that key components of the ambitious project, including the Long March 10 heavy-lift carrier rocket, the Mengzhou manned spacecraft, the Lanyue lunar lander, the Wangyu lunar suit and the Tansuo crew rover, are currently in the preliminary prototype development phase, and the design work is proceeding on schedule.

Meanwhile, construction of new testing and launch facilities is underway at the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan province. The overall design plans for the tracking, telemetry and command systems, as well as landing site infrastructure, have been finalized and construction work is set to begin imminently, according to the release.