BEIJING (Reuters) – As soon as China establishes a lunar research station, the astronauts will stay on the moon for a long time while conducting scientific studies, state media reported Sunday, announcing the architect of China’s lunar program.
China has planned a series of unrelated missions in this decade, including the establishment of a robotic center to study the lunar south pole region, ahead of landing.
“If the lunar research station project is successfully implemented, China will not be far from landing,” said Wu Weiren, chief designer of a lunar exploration program in China.
Last week, China and Russia signed an initial agreement to establish an international lunar research station, but did not reveal a timeline.
“Compared to American astronauts who could only stay for tens of hours after landing on the moon, Chinese astronauts will stay on the moon for a longer period of time,” Wu said.
“This will be a long-term stay on the moon, not a short-term stop. ”
China has successfully launched a series of lunar missions in recent years, including a rock-free recovery of last year’s lunar eclipse, the first by any country since 1976.
But China is still far behind the United States in terms of knowledge, experience and technology.
NASA plans to return astronauts to the lunar surface by 2024. NASA had its last crew mission in 1972.
Chinese rockets are not currently at a level enough to send astronauts to the moon, Wu said, but China aims to make improvements in rocket design in 2021-2025.
In China’s next mission to the moon, lunar samples of the south pole will be found, he said.
Subsequent missions will include a detailed survey of facilities in the south pole, and a test of key technologies in preparation for the construction of the research station, Wu said.
Reciting with Ryan Woo; Edited by Ana Nicolaci da Costa