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Race to the Moon · China
China’s Moon landing plan: Chang’e, Mengzhou and the ILRS
China made the first far-side landing (2019) and the first far-side sample return (2024). Its official goal is a first crewed landing before 2030 (2030年前), using two Long March 10 launches, the Mengzhou crew ship and the Lanyue lander. In May 2026 it merged its crewed and robotic lunar programmes into one 月球探测工程 (Lunar Exploration Project). Analysis: what China’s 31 October 2026 plan adds.
Data reviewed against sources as of · Tracker method v1.0.5 · All dates UTC unless a local time is shown
ILRS "basic model" by 2035: "an expandable and maintainable system capable of long-term robotic operation with short-term human participation". No official date for continuous occupation.
The complete official statement (CMSA, 23 Aug 2026). It gives no cause and no new date; we do not supply either.
本着稳妥可靠、万无一失的原则，经综合研判，嫦娥七号任务不满足发射条件，不能在今年预定窗口实施。
In line with the principle of being prudent, reliable and failure-proof, and after a comprehensive assessment, the Chang’e-7 mission does not meet launch conditions and cannot be carried out in this year’s planned window.
When is China planning to land astronauts on the Moon?
China’s official target is a first crewed landing before 2030 (2030年前). Two Long March 10 launches; Mengzhou and the two-seat Lanyue lander meet in lunar orbit. Crew of three, two landing (Wang Xiang, 7th Manned Space Symposium, 31 Oct 2026, reported by Global Times; Mengzhou’s three seats to lunar orbit were in CMSA’s 2024 naming announcement). CMSA, 23 May 2026: go all out to achieve, "on schedule" (如期), the first Chinese landing before 2030. No launch sequence has been officially dated.
There is no official date. The stack rolled out to the pad on 19 Aug 2026; on 23 Aug 2026 China’s statement said: “In line with the principle of being prudent, reliable and failure-proof, and after a comprehensive assessment, the Chang’e-7 mission does not meet launch conditions and cannot be carried out in this year’s planned window.” It gave no cause and no new date.
The International Lunar Research Station, led by China and Russia. ILRS "basic model" by 2035: "an expandable and maintainable system capable of long-term robotic operation with short-term human participation". No official date for continuous occupation. China’s space agency counts 17 countries and international organizations, as well as more than 50 international research institutions (stated 23 Apr 2025).
Approved by the central government in 2023; restated by CMSA on 27 Feb and 23 May 2026, the second time with "on schedule" (如期). Xinhua renders it "by 2030" in English, a translation choice, not a different target. No launch sequence has been officially dated.
Two Long March 10 launches: one carries the Lanyue landing stack, the other the Mengzhou crew ship (each about 26 t in CMSA’s 2023 presentation). They dock in lunar orbit; astronauts transfer to Lanyue, land, ascend, redock and return in Mengzhou. Lanyue has four 7,500 N variable-thrust engines; the suit supports at least eight hours of work. Yang Liwei restated the two-launch plan at a State Council Information Office press event on 21 Sep 2026, with no new dates.
Crew: three launched, two landing. Wang Xiang, chief designer of the Lunar Exploration Project, at the 7th Manned Space Symposium on 31 Oct 2026 (Global Times: "我国首次载人月球探测任务乘组计划由三人组成，其中两人着陆月球表面", the crew of China’s first crewed lunar mission is planned to be three, two of whom land). The capacities were already official: CMSA’s naming announcement (CCTV, 24 Feb 2024) said Mengzhou carries three astronauts between Earth and lunar orbit and Lanyue two between lunar orbit and the surface; CMSA repeated Lanyue’s two seats on 7 Aug 2025.
Unconfirmed (reported but not confirmed by a primary source):
A surface stay of about six hours.
Three days on the surface with daily spacewalks: reported from the slides shown at the 7th Manned Space Symposium on 31 Oct 2026 (China in Space, 1 Nov 2026; a Sohu account citing Global Times images of the slides), not stated in an official text. Reports differ from the six-hour figure above.
A lunar Mengzhou mass of 21.6 t (only about 26 t is sourced).
Long March 10 (lunar): 92.5 m, about 2,189 t at liftoff, at least 27 t to trans-lunar injection; three stages with two boosters; not yet flown in full configuration. Long March 10A: about 67 m, about 740 t, at least 14 t to low Earth orbit, reusable first stage; debut officially 2026. Long March 10B, a single-core commercial variant that reuses the 10A first stage, reached orbit on 10 Jul 2026 and its first stage was caught by a net at sea.
Unconfirmed (reported but not confirmed by a primary source):
Modular crew ship for up to seven people in Earth orbit. A precursor flew to about 8,000 km in May 2020; pad abort 17 Jun 2025; max-Q abort 11 Feb 2026 with prototype hardware. Mengzhou-1 (uncrewed, to Tiangong on Long March 10A) is officially planned for 2026 and has not flown.
Two-seat lander (crew module plus propulsion module) built for lunar-orbit rendezvous. Completed an integrated landing and takeoff test at Huailai on 6 Aug 2025. Has not flown.
Unconfirmed (reported but not confirmed by a primary source):
The suit made its first public appearance on 28 Sep 2024 at a forum in Chongqing (Global Times: "China's lunar spacesuit made its first public appearance on Saturday at a forum in Chongqing."); suit and rover named 12 Feb 2025. Tansuo: about 200 kg, two crew, range about 10 km (2023 plan). No suit qualification has been announced.
Xinhua, 19 Sep 2026: development is progressing smoothly and dozens of key technologies have been overcome ("望宇登月服研制进展顺利，已攻克数十项关键技术"). No qualification test is reported.
Unconfirmed (reported but not confirmed by a primary source):
A "final prototype" by the end of 2026 (Yang Liwei, around 6 Jan 2026, as reported by China in Space on 7 Jan 2026; secondary).
Two orbiters (2007, 2010), the first soft landing since 1976 (Chang’e 3, 2013), the first far-side landing (Chang’e 4, 2019), sample returns from the near side (Chang’e 5, 1,731 g, 2020) and the far side (Chang’e 6, 1,935.3 g, 2024), and two robotic rendezvous-and-dockings in lunar orbit (Chang’e 5 and 6). Every Chang’e mission has met its primary objective.
Postponed out of the 2026 window; no new official date
Orbiter, lander, rover and a hopper to probe permanently shadowed craters. Arrived at Wenchang by 9 Apr 2026, stacked on Long March 5 Y14 and rolled out on 19 Aug, then postponed on 23 Aug with no cause and no new date given. CGTN notes that suitable south-polar lighting windows total about 100 days a year and "do not occur every month".
Unconfirmed (reported but not confirmed by a primary source):
A launch mass of 8,200 kg (a 2020 figure that included a relay satellite).
A target of 88.8°S 123.4°E near Shackleton (reported; official texts say "lunar south pole").
Weather (Typhoon Narra) as the cause.
A 2027 launch: Thailand’s NARIT (a payload partner) says the mission is delayed "into next year"; China in Space (31 Aug 2026) reports unattributed talk of the February and March 2027 opportunities. China has given no new date.
Reported (SpaceNews, 10 Sep 2026) to be under reconfiguration; no official statement
Lander, rover and multi-purpose robot for the Leibnitz-Beta Plateau near the south pole; tests 3-D printing bricks from regolith; 200 kg for international payloads from 11 countries and regions and one organisation, including Pakistan’s Jinnah-1 rover (30 kg) and a Turkish rover. The 2024 plan said around 2028.
Unconfirmed (reported but not confirmed by a primary source):
Reports (Sep 2026) that some payloads move to 2030–2031 missions, or that the mission is cancelled.
Queqiao (2018) at the Earth–Moon L2 point relayed for Chang’e 4. Queqiao-2 (launched 20 Mar 2024, 8-year design life as quoted from CNSA) tested links with Chang’e 4, relayed for Chang’e 6 and will serve Chang’e 7 and 8. China has started studying a "Queqiao constellation" communications and navigation system (Wu Weiren, April 2025).
Two-way Earth–Moon laser communication, announced 26–27 Aug 2026: 100 Mbps down and 1.25 Mbps up over more than 400,000 km (Xinhua, 27 Aug 2026, citing the CAS Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization: "初步实现上行1.25Mbps（兆比特每秒）、下行100Mbps的通信速率"). A communications test, not a Queqiao relay service.
Unconfirmed (reported but not confirmed by a primary source):
A constellation of a dozen or more Queqiao satellites (the number is not official).
That the spacecraft end of the August 2026 laser link was DRO-A, in a distant retrograde lunar orbit (Xinhua does not name it; secondary).
Founded with Russia (memorandum 9 Mar 2021). Officially "long-term robotic operation with short-term human participation", not continuous crewing. Basic model at the south pole by 2035; extended model "before 2045" (Wu Weiren, 2025) or "by 2050" (Xinhua summary, 2024). Partners: "17 countries and international organizations" (CNSA, April 2025). The ILRS principles are not public. How the ILRS maps onto the merged, CMSA-voiced programme has not been explained.
Planned governance: a cooperation committee, expert consultative committee, technology alliance, science alliance and coordination headquarters. CNSA’s Han Siyuan: "free riding plus data sharing".
Reuters reports a "555 Project" inviting 50 countries, 500 institutions and 5,000 researchers.
Memorandum signed 8 May 2025. Roscosmos said in 2024 it planned a reactor by 2035, and in 2025 that the ILRS should be completed by 2036. The Chang’e-8 chief engineer, Pei Zhaoyu, showed a nuclear plant in a 2025 presentation; China "has never formally announced" it (Reuters). In April 2026 the Russian Academy of Sciences approved the concept of Russia’s ILRS segment.
Unconfirmed (reported but not confirmed by a primary source):
New-generation crew spacecraft prototype flies and returns
A full-scale test article launched on Long March 5B reached about 8,000 km apogee and returned on 8 May 2020 (13:49 BJT), per CMSA via Xinhua. A precursor of Mengzhou, not the current lunar design.
Sources:Xinhua (8 May 2020) · Wikipedia (read 23 Sep 2026, secondary)
State Council white paper: continue studying a human lunar landing
"Continue studies … on the plan for a human lunar landing, develop new-generation manned spacecraft". Chang’e-7 to make "a precise landing in the moon’s polar regions and a hopping detection in lunar shadowed area" (no year given).
CMSA announces the goal: a first Chinese crewed landing before 2030
At the Shenzhou-16 press conference: "2030年前实现中国人首次登陆月球" (achieve the first landing of Chinese people on the Moon before 2030); the landing phase had "recently" been started.
Zhang Hailian (CMSA deputy chief designer): two Long March 10 launches; the lander stack and the crew ship (each about 26 t) dock in lunar orbit; two astronauts land (SpaceNews: "before the end of the decade"). CMSA had announced the "before 2030" goal on 29 May 2023.
ILRS "basic model" by 2035 restated; Senegal joins
Chang’e-7 "around 2026" and Chang’e-8 "around 2028"; six international instruments on Chang’e-7; 200 kg of international payload capacity on Chang’e-8.
ILRS: "17 countries and international organizations" and 50+ research institutions
Stated in Shanghai on 23 Apr 2025. Chang’e-8 moved to "around 2029", carrying payloads from 11 countries and regions and one international organisation, including Pakistan’s 30 kg rover and a Turkish rover.
Roscosmos and CNSA sign a memorandum on a lunar power plant for the ILRS
Signed on the day of the Putin–Xi talks in Moscow. Roscosmos: the ILRS "should be completed by 2036"; in 2024 it had said a reactor by 2035. China "has never formally announced" the nuclear plan (Reuters).
"进度紧张，各项工作面临风险挑战", in English "the schedule is tight and all work faces risks and challenges" (Shenzhou-21 press conference). Long March 10A and Mengzhou-1 to debut in 2026.
Mengzhou-1: uncrewed debut on Long March 10A, docking at Tiangong
Official plan: 2026 (CMSA mission-patch notices, Oct/Nov 2025). Not in CMSA’s February 2026 annual plan; in May CMSA spoke of verifying the Earth-orbit system "over the next two years through multiple space-station flights".
Unconfirmed (reported but not confirmed by a primary source):
A slip to 2027: China in Space’s inference from an upper stage entering service in Q1 2027, not an official statement.
A report that the Long March 10A debut will instead carry a lunar "space-time reference satellite".
Long March 10 low-altitude flight and Mengzhou max-Q abort
A single first-stage core and a Mengzhou, both prototype (初样) hardware, from a new pad at Wenchang; China’s first max-Q crew abort and first sea splashdown of a crew capsule and a rocket stage. The stage was salvaged from the sea on 13 Feb.
Unconfirmed (reported but not confirmed by a primary source):
The stage splashing down "about 200 m from the recovery ship".
Crewed and robotic lunar programmes merged into the 月球探测工程 (Lunar Exploration Project)
Integrated in "missions, resources and teams" (CMSA spokesperson Zhang Jingbo, 09:00 BJT, Jiuquan). Upcoming: a Long March 10 technical verification flight and the first flights of Mengzhou and Lanyue, with no dates given. "Go all out to achieve, on schedule (如期), … before 2030." The statement says nothing about CNSA’s international role or the ILRS.
Long March 10B maiden flight reaches orbit; booster caught by net at sea
A single-core member of the Long March 10 series (first stage carried over from the Long March 10A, methalox second stage, about 63 m, 16 t to low Earth orbit when reused); CASC: "全球首次运载火箭网系回收" (the world’s first net recovery of a rocket). The recovery ship is the Linghangzhe (领航者); CNSA: "火箭一级在“领航者”号回收船上通过网系捕获方式垂直回收" (the first stage was recovered vertically by net capture on the recovery ship Linghangzhe).
CMSA: “In line with the principle of being prudent, reliable and failure-proof, and after a comprehensive assessment, the Chang’e-7 mission does not meet launch conditions and cannot be carried out in this year’s planned window.” No cause and no new date given.
CMSA invites payloads for an uncrewed Lanyue flight before the crewed landing
"拟于载人登月任务前安排揽月着陆器无人飞行任务" (an uncrewed Lanyue flight is to be arranged before the crewed landing mission). Open to independent legal entities in China; payloads at most 50 kg in total per mission and generally no more than 100 W; no carriage fee, development self-funded; deadline 1 Mar 2027. The flight has no official date.
Wang Xiang sets out the crewed landing plan at the 7th Manned Space Symposium
Two Long March 10 launches and a docking in lunar orbit, as in 2023. A crew of three with two landing (Global Times: "我国首次载人月球探测任务乘组计划由三人组成，其中两人着陆月球表面"); a rover on the first landing (China Daily). Planning principles (CCTV, as quoted by Inside Outer Space): validate lunar-orbit tasks in near-Earth orbit "whenever possible" and "try to fly" every crewed mission uncrewed first, including an uncrewed Lanyue flight. No new dates; the target stays "before 2030".
Unconfirmed (reported but not confirmed by a primary source):
Three days on the surface with daily spacewalks, and an uncrewed end-to-end rehearsal in place of a crewed lunar-orbit Mengzhou flight: reported from the symposium slides (China in Space, 1 Nov 2026), not stated in an official text.
Analyst sequence: uncrewed Mengzhou to the Moon (2027), Lanyue plus a crewed Mengzhou in lunar orbit (2028), landing (2029 or 2030)
Inferred by Daniel Marín (Eureka, 19 Apr 2025) from an unofficial presentation image; not an official schedule. IEEE Spectrum (Feb 2026) gives a similar sequence without a CMSA citation. Note (2 Nov 2026): China in Space reports, from the slides shown at the 7th Manned Space Symposium on 31 Oct 2026, that an uncrewed end-to-end rehearsal takes the place of the crewed lunar-orbit Mengzhou flight; CMSA has not said so itself.
Lander, rover and a multi-purpose robot for the Leibnitz-Beta Plateau near the south pole (CNSA); tests 3-D printing of bricks from regolith. Chang’e 7 and 8 are to be parts of the ILRS "basic model". SpaceNews reported on 10 Sep 2026 that CMSA, now in charge of lunar missions, "appears to be reconfiguring" the robotic landing programme; there is no official statement.
Unconfirmed (reported but not confirmed by a primary source):
Reports (Sep 2026) that some Chang’e-8 payloads move to 2030–2031 missions, or that the mission is cancelled.
A 35 kg mass for Pakistan’s rover (SUPARCO says 30 kg).
Two Long March 10 launches; Mengzhou and the two-seat Lanyue lander meet in lunar orbit. Crew of three, two landing (Wang Xiang, 7th Manned Space Symposium, 31 Oct 2026, reported by Global Times; Mengzhou’s three seats to lunar orbit were in CMSA’s 2024 naming announcement). CMSA, 23 May 2026: go all out to achieve, "on schedule" (如期), the first Chinese landing before 2030. No launch sequence has been officially dated.
Claims that appear in reporting but that no primary source confirmed. We show them labelled rather than state them as fact.
Two launches, lunar-orbit rendezvous: A surface stay of about six hours.
Two launches, lunar-orbit rendezvous: Three days on the surface with daily spacewalks: reported from the slides shown at the 7th Manned Space Symposium on 31 Oct 2026 (China in Space, 1 Nov 2026; a Sohu account citing Global Times images of the slides), not stated in an official text. Reports differ from the six-hour figure above.
Two launches, lunar-orbit rendezvous: A lunar Mengzhou mass of 21.6 t (only about 26 t is sourced).
Long March 10 family: About 70 t to low Earth orbit for Long March 10.
Lanyue: A module-separation test on 29 Oct 2024.
Wangyu suit and Tansuo rover: A "final prototype" by the end of 2026 (Yang Liwei, around 6 Jan 2026, as reported by China in Space on 7 Jan 2026; secondary).
Chang’e-7 (south pole): A launch mass of 8,200 kg (a 2020 figure that included a relay satellite).
Chang’e-7 (south pole): A target of 88.8°S 123.4°E near Shackleton (reported; official texts say "lunar south pole").
Chang’e-7 (south pole): Weather (Typhoon Narra) as the cause.
Chang’e-7 (south pole): A 2027 launch: Thailand’s NARIT (a payload partner) says the mission is delayed "into next year"; China in Space (31 Aug 2026) reports unattributed talk of the February and March 2027 opportunities. China has given no new date.
Chang’e-8 (in-situ resources): Reports (Sep 2026) that some payloads move to 2030–2031 missions, or that the mission is cancelled.
Queqiao and Queqiao-2: A constellation of a dozen or more Queqiao satellites (the number is not official).
Queqiao and Queqiao-2: That the spacecraft end of the August 2026 laser link was DRO-A, in a distant retrograde lunar orbit (Xinhua does not name it; secondary).
Lunar nuclear power (with Russia): A 2033–2035 delivery window.
Long March 10 low-altitude flight and Mengzhou max-Q abort: The stage splashing down "about 200 m from the recovery ship".
Wang Xiang sets out the crewed landing plan at the 7th Manned Space Symposium: Three days on the surface with daily spacewalks, and an uncrewed end-to-end rehearsal in place of a crewed lunar-orbit Mengzhou flight: reported from the symposium slides (China in Space, 1 Nov 2026), not stated in an official text.
Mengzhou-1: uncrewed debut on Long March 10A, docking at Tiangong: A slip to 2027: China in Space’s inference from an upper stage entering service in Q1 2027, not an official statement.
Mengzhou-1: uncrewed debut on Long March 10A, docking at Tiangong: A report that the Long March 10A debut will instead carry a lunar "space-time reference satellite".
Russian–Chinese lunar reactor: A "2033–2035" delivery window.