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China's first crewed lunar landing mission will send a three-person crew, with two astronauts descending to the lunar surface while the third remains in lunar orbit, according to the mission plan disclosed by Wang Xiang, deputy chief designer of China's manned space engineering program and chief designer of the lunar exploration project, at the 7th Manned Space Academic Conference held at Beihang University on October 31, 2026.

Mission Architecture: "Two Launches, One Landing"

The mission will adopt a lunar orbit rendezvous approach, described officially as "two launches, one landing" (两次发射，一次登月). Two Long March-10 carrier rockets will be used:

  1. The first launch will send the Lanyue (揽月, "Embracing the Moon") lunar lander to lunar orbit.
  2. The second launch will send the Mengzhou (梦舟, "Dream Vessel") crewed spacecraft to rendezvous and dock with the lander in lunar orbit.

After docking, two astronauts will enter the lander and descend to the surface to conduct scientific exploration and sampling. The third astronaut will remain aboard the Mengzhou spacecraft in lunar orbit, serving as a monitor and emergency support. Upon completion of the surface mission, the two astronauts will ascend in the lander, re-dock with the spacecraft, and all three will return to Earth together.

Key Hardware Progress

The major flight vehicles for the mission have been progressing steadily, with a series of critical tests already completed:

  • Long March-10 rocket: The rocket has completed tethered ignition tests, a low-altitude demonstration and validation flight, and other system-level tests at the Wenchang Space Launch Site.
  • Mengzhou spacecraft: The crewed spacecraft has undergone a zero-altitude abort flight test and a maximum dynamic pressure escape flight test.
  • Lanyue lander: The lunar lander has completed an integrated landing and takeoff test, a key milestone toward validating its ability to touch down on and lift off from the lunar surface.

Astronaut Selection and Training

The astronauts for the lunar mission will be selected preferentially from the corps of astronauts who have already flown missions to China's space station, leveraging their accumulated spaceflight experience. Specialized mission training for the lunar landing is already underway. China's space station program has cultivated a team of astronauts with rich spaceflight experience, providing a solid talent pool for the lunar crew selection.

Timeline and Strategic Context

China aims to achieve its first crewed lunar landing before 2030. The mission represents a major step in China's manned space program, transitioning from low-Earth orbit operations to deep space exploration. The plan was disclosed alongside a broader roadmap that includes three uncrewed lunar verification missions and one crewed landing mission at the Wenchang Space Launch Site between 2028 and 2030. The architecture bears a structural resemblance to the Apollo program's "two down, one in orbit" model, but is implemented entirely on China's new indigenous launch vehicle, spacecraft, and lander platforms.