China's Moon Landing Goal Sets Out a Four-Mission Roadmap

China’s stated goal is to land astronauts on the Moon before 2030. Reporting describes a four-mission sequence, beginning with a 2027 test of the Mengzhou spacecraft in low Earth orbit and building toward a crewed landing.

Key details

• In 2028, an uncrewed mission would test a lunar landing and ascent.
• A 2029 uncrewed mission would rehearse rendezvous and docking in lunar orbit.
• The reported crewed mission would send three astronauts to lunar orbit; two would descend for a planned three-day stay.
• The mission sequence was attributed to an online presentation slide and reporting by CNSpaceflight. The material does not cite a direct official document confirming all the details.

The reported sequence starts with a Mengzhou test in low Earth orbit in 2027.

Why it matters

The sequence places spacecraft testing, an uncrewed landing attempt, and an orbital rehearsal ahead of the stated crewed landing goal. The reported approach would test key parts of a lunar mission in separate steps before astronauts travel to the surface.