--- title: "China Reveals Detailed Timeline for Human Moon Landing by 2030: Three Stages and Two Long March-10 Rockets" description: "At a symposium in Beijing, China revealed a phased schedule for a crewed Moon landing by 2030: testing Mengzhou and Lanyue, uncrewed docking in 2029, and two Long March-10 launches. Beijing aims to beat Artemis." date: 2026-11-05T00:15:00.061Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/china-reveals-moon-landing-timeline-2030 tags: [china-space-program, lunar-landing, mengzhou, lanyue, changzheng-10, artemis, nasa, manned-spaceflight] author: "Alexander Buran" publisher: "XAB.info" --- # China Reveals Detailed Timeline for Human Moon Landing by 2030: Three Stages and Two Long March-10 Rockets ![Close-up view of the full Moon against a black night sky background](https://xab.info/media/2026/11/05/kitay-raskryl-grafik-vysadki-cheloveka-na-lunu-k-2030/kitay-raskryl-grafik-vysadki-cheloveka-na-lunu-k-2030-1.webp) ## Key Points - China will conduct an uncrewed 'dress rehearsal' of the lunar flight in three stages before landing taikonauts - In 2029, a joint uncrewed flight of Mengzhou and Lanyue will take place with docking in lunar orbit - The crewed landing is scheduled for no later than 2030 using two Long March-10 rockets - The plan does not include an Artemis II analog—a lunar flyby without landing; the spacecraft will be tested in low-Earth orbit - The 26-ton Lanyue mockup was tested in August 2025, and Mengzhou has been delivered to the Wenchang spaceport China has for the first time published a detailed multi-year schedule for preparations leading up to a crewed lunar landing. Wang Xiang, chief designer of the national lunar program, presented the roadmap at the Seventh Symposium on Manned Spaceflight in Beijing. According to the disclosed materials, before sending taikonauts to the lunar surface, Beijing will conduct a comprehensive uncrewed 'dress rehearsal' to test the entire flight profile—from spacecraft docking with the lunar lander in lunar orbit to descending to the surface and returning to orbit. Only after the successful completion of all tests does China plan to execute the crewed landing no later than 2030. ### Three Steps of the 'Dress Rehearsal' The uncrewed testing phase is divided into several independent missions. In the first stage, China will test the 'Mengzhou' crewed spacecraft in low-Earth orbit, verifying its life support, navigation, and control systems under conditions closely resembling an actual flight. In the second stage, the 'Lanyue' lunar lander will be sent into space to execute a landing on the Moon and a subsequent ascent from its surface. The final, third stage in 2029 will feature a joint uncrewed flight of both vehicles and their docking in lunar orbit—an exact simulation of the scenario that will later be performed with a crew on board. ### Two Rockets and No 'Flyby Without Landing' The crewed expedition itself will utilize two Long March-10 rockets: one to deliver the 'Mengzhou' spacecraft with taikonauts to lunar orbit, and the other to deliver the 'Lanyue' lander. Notably, the Chinese plan lacks a separate mission analogous to the American Apollo 8 or Artemis II, in which the crew first performs a lunar flyby without landing. Chinese engineers intend to validate the 'Mengzhou' through closer-to-Earth crewed flights, including delivering taikonauts to the Tiangong space station, considering these tests sufficient validation of the spacecraft prior to the lunar flight. ### Testing Already Underway: Lanyue Mockup and Spacecraft at the Spaceport Program preparations have entered a practical phase. In August 2025, specialists successfully tested a full-scale 26-metric-ton mockup of the 'Lanyue' lander: special cables were used to simulate lunar gravity while engines and control systems practiced landing and ascent maneuvers. Additionally, the 'Mengzhou' spacecraft intended for the 2027 tests has already been delivered to the Wenchang spaceport on Hainan Island, confirming that the stated hardware preparation schedules are being met. ### The Race with Artemis: Who Will Be First The published schedule allows for a direct comparison between Chinese plans and the American Artemis program. NASA is targeting a crewed lunar landing in 2028, but the development of the human landing system by SpaceX and Blue Origin remains a major source of uncertainty, with delays potentially pushing the U.S. mission to 2030 or even later. Thus, if the stated timelines are maintained, China has a real chance to return humans to the Moon ahead of the United States. At the same time, Beijing's goal is not limited to a single landing, but rather establishing the technical foundation for a more prolonged human presence on the Moon in the future. ## Fact-Check & Sources - [Три шага до Луны: Китай раскрыл график подготовки к высадке человека window-new](https://3dnews.ru/1150842/kitay-sobralsya-visadit-cheloveka-na-lunu-k-2030-godu) - The primary source contains the full text of Wang Xiang's presentation: test stages, timelines (2027, 2029, 2030), spacecraft names (Mengzhou, Lanyue, Long March-10), data on mockup tests in August 2025, and delivery of the spacecraft to Wenchang. All facts in the article have been verified against the source text. ## FAQ ### When does China plan to land a human on the Moon? Beijing expects to execute a crewed lunar landing no later than 2030, following the successful completion of uncrewed tests between 2027 and 2029. ### What spacecraft will be used for the lunar mission? The crewed expedition will use the Mengzhou crewed spacecraft, the Lanyue lunar lander, and two Long March-10 carrier rockets. ### How does the Chinese plan differ from the U.S. Artemis program? The Chinese plan lacks a dedicated lunar flyby mission without landing (analogous to Artemis II). The Mengzhou spacecraft will be tested in low-Earth orbit, including during flights to the Tiangong space station. ### What tests have already been conducted? In August 2025, tests were conducted on a full-scale 26-ton Lanyue mockup simulating lunar gravity. The Mengzhou spacecraft for the 2027 tests has been delivered to the Wenchang spaceport on Hainan.