China Prepares Two New Spacecraft for Manned Moon Missions – Latest Technology Updates
China has announced the names of the carrier shuttle and landing vehicle that will be used in its upcoming Moon missions. The China Manned Space Expeditions Agency (CMSA) revealed that the carrier shuttle will be named “Mingcou,” which means “dream ship” in Chinese, while the landing vehicle will be named “Lanyüe,” which means “embracing the Moon.”
The Mingcou shuttle, designed to transport taikonauts to the Moon and other space missions, will replace the current Shincou shuttles used for personnel transport to China’s space station. It is expected to be 9 meters long, 4.5 meters wide, and weigh 22 tons, with the capacity to carry three taikonauts.
On the other hand, the Lanyüe lander is designed to consist of two parts – a Moon module and an ignition module. It is expected to weigh approximately 26 tons and will be able to carry two taikonauts and exploration vehicles weighing up to 200 kilograms to the Moon’s surface at a time.
The names of the rovers were selected from around 2,000 suggestions from the public, symbolizing China’s ambition and self-confidence in exploring the universe and journeying to the Moon. The Mingcou shuttle represents China’s new space adventure, while the Lanyüe lander is inspired by a poem written by Mao Zedong in 1965.
China’s space program aims to establish a fully functional research base on the Moon by 2050. In the first phase of the “International Lunar Research Base” (ILRS) project, three exploration missions will be conducted by 2028 to lay the groundwork for the research base.
The second phase, spanning from 2030 to 2040, will involve five manned expeditions to construct the research base. In the final phase from 2040 to 2050, further infrastructure work will be carried out to transform ILRS into an application-oriented base, supporting space missions to Mars, Venus, and beyond.
China’s lunar exploration plans signify its commitment to space exploration and its aim to become a leading player in space research and exploration.
