China has unveiled exciting new details of its ambitious plan to send astronauts to the moon, marking a significant milestone in its space exploration efforts. In a video released on Thursday by the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) at the Human Space Symposium, the nation showcased an animated glimpse into its future manned lunar mission.
The animation depicts Chinese astronauts navigating a lunar rover across the moon’s surface, highlighting a three-day driving route centered around the planned landing area. This visual presentation underscores China’s commitment to advancing its capabilities in space exploration and highlights the mission’s focus on several critical objectives.
According to the CMSA, the manned lunar landing mission aims to master essential technologies such as manned Earth-moon round trips, short-term stays on the lunar surface, and collaborative exploration between humans and robots. The mission encompasses a comprehensive range of tasks, including landing, roving, sampling, conducting research, and safely returning to Earth.
The journey is set to begin with the launch of the Lanyue lunar lander aboard China’s new heavy carrier rocket. Once in space, Lanyue will await the arrival of the Mengzhou manned spacecraft. The astronauts aboard Mengzhou will rendezvous with Lanyue in lunar orbit and transfer into the lander in preparation for their descent.
Upon separation, the lander will carry the astronauts to the moon’s surface, where they will embark on their exploration activities. After completing their mission on the lunar terrain, the astronauts will return to lunar orbit using the lander’s ascent stage. They will then re-dock with the spacecraft, marking the start of their journey back to Earth.
This new revelation of China’s lunar mission details signifies a bold step forward in the nation’s space endeavors, promising to contribute significantly to humanity’s understanding of the moon and beyond.
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China unveils further details of future manned lunar mission
cgtn.com
