China unveils ambitious plans for manned lunar mission and moon research station

China on Tuesday announced its plans for a manned lunar mission that includes building an international space station and exploring habitable planets and extraterrestrial life.

China also aims to put a person on the moon before 2030, which would make it the second nation after the US to do so.

The mid- to long-term development strategy will guide its missions and research initiatives from 2024 to 2050. These initiatives also represent a significant expansion of the country’s space programme over the coming decades.

The unveiled programme aims to "achieve high-quality development in space science, drive breakthroughs in space technology innovation, upgrade space applications, rank among the world’s leading space nations, and establish China as a global leader in space science," the China Academy of Sciences (CAS), the highest consultancy for science and technology, said in a statement to Global Times.

In recent years, China has built its own operational space station and launched a lunar probe that collected samples from the far side of the moon and returned them to Earth for analysis.

The new strategy includes 17 priority areas organised into five main scientific themes, along with a three-phase timeline for development.

In the first phase, which targets completion by 2027, China will focus on operating the space station, implementing the manned lunar exploration initiative, continuing its lunar exploration programme, and pursuing planetary exploration efforts.

The “manned lunar exploration is a strategic endeavor that promotes the progress of human civilisation and demonstrates the responsibility of a major power”, said Lin Xiqiang, a China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) spokesperson.

The international lunar research station is scheduled for construction during the second phase that is set to run from 2028 to 2035, reports quoted Ding Chibiao, vice president of CAS, as saying.

The scientists, under the new plan, will explore the celestial bodies in the solar system, exoplanets, and search for extraterrestrial life. Key research areas will focus on the origins and evolution of the solar system, planetary atmospheres, and methods for detecting exoplanets, according to Mr Ding.

The programme also aims to investigate the universe’s origins and evolution, focusing on dark matter, cosmic baryonic matter, and extreme cosmic conditions.

The scientists intend to better understand gravity and the nature of space-time, alongside explorations of the Sun and Earth, reported the Press Trust of India.

The priority areas outlined in the programme include Earth’s cyclical systems, comprehensive observations of the Earth-moon system, space weather monitoring, three-dimensional solar exploration, and heliosphere studies.

In the third phase, running from 2036 to 2050, China will aim to implement five to six major missions, exploring scientific themes of extreme universe, ripples in space-time, panorama of the Sun-Earth system and laws of space, reported the Global Times.

"We have signed agreements with 17 countries and international organizations and are prepared to offer collaboration opportunities at multiple levels and in various forms to our international partners,’’ said Yang Xiaoyu, director of China National Space Administration’s (CNSA) system engineering department.

"We will work with our partners on joint demonstration of overall mission plans, joint design of the International Lunar Research Station, technical cooperation on projects, implementation of overall mission planning, and the sharing of scientific data," he said.

China’s moon programme is part of a growing rivalry with the US – still the leader in space exploration – and others, including Japan and India. The US is planning to land astronauts on the moon for the first time in more than 50 years, though Nasa pushed the target date back to 2026 earlier this year.

The US launched a spacecraft this week on a five and a half year journey to Jupiter, where it will try to study one of the planet’s moons to see if its vast hidden ocean might hold the keys to life.