Chinese Manned Moon Missions (landing, base, etc)

More details on the lunar landing system

China has learned the lesson from USSR: it's very hard to develop a 4,000-ton class moon rocket, that's why the Soviet Union lost the competition against the US.

It is not just about it being difficult to develop. There is no significant demand for such rockets. For example the SLS is supposed to be launched like once every two years. And in the meantime you still have to pay for the staff to build and launch those rockets, as well as the maintenance for the launch facilities, which basically cannot be used for anything else. Multiple launches with smaller rockets make a lot more sense.

Not really similar to Apollo, because two launches will be used.

This would be a great approach to lunar landing if implemented - a fairly straightforward application of distributed lift that could be built on to support an actually practical space infrastructure approach. Shame that it always seems to be abandoned in favor of a "easier for now" across the various space programs that have tried it. Better docking/rendezvous technologies than the Apollo days (demonstrated by Shenzhou/Tianzhou in LEO and Chang'e 5 in lunar orbit) makes this plan more economical to implement than the crew landing plan devised a decade ago.

Not to mention that rocket will be a workhorse going into the 2030s that will aim to replace several rockets currently operating in the chinese fleet.

Not quite sure if this sort of post belongs here. But as a precursor to the Russian ILRS commitments they are launching this month August 11 their first (not Soviet) lunar lander.

The launch site for China's crewed moon landing will be built on the Hainan Island.

Among China's four major space launch centers, Wenchang site has three major advantages that make it the mother port for China's space station construction, according to researchers. First, it has low latitude. The lower the latitude of the rocket launch site, the less energy is required for launching spacecraft, resulting in greater carrying capacity, the report said.

Second, it has high safety. Within a range of 1,000 kilometers from the launch site, there is only vast ocean, and the launch range covers 90 to 185 degrees, meeting the launch requirements of different orbital spacecraft.

Third, it has convenient transportation. Rockets can be transported by sea, and their size is not limited by the diameter of railway transportation, making it adaptable to the needs of various large rockets for reaching the launch site.

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Chinese scientists are studying materials for the lunar base - how to turn lunar volcanic rock into high-performance fibers.

A Croatia company will join the China's international moon base program.

China-Russia lunar base collaboration 'a perfect match'
By Fan Anqi Published: Nov 30, 2023 11:08 PM

China Russia Photo: VCG

Russia has officially ratified a cooperation agreement with China for the joint construction of the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) project, according to reports in the Russian media on Wednesday. The inclusive project has so far welcomed nearly 20 countries and organizations.

Experts believe that this collaboration will greatly enhance the space exploration capabilities of both countries by leveraging their respective strengths, with China bringing abundant resources and skills while Russia contributes its expertise and innovative thinking.

The Russian Government Legislative Committee approved the project after the two sides signed a memorandum of understanding last year. According to Russian media reports, Moscow and Beijing plan to develop the ILRS in several stages from 2025 to 2035.

For the first stage, the two countries will determine the location for the base and verify relevant technologies for a safe, high-precision soft landing on the Moon's surface, with Russia reportedly utilizing its Luna-Glob lander, Sputnik reported.

Then they will deliver modules to the Moon through several missions, which is necessary for the exploration of the Earth's satellite. In the future, the project also plans to send manned expeditions to the Moon.

When asked if the recent failure of the Luna-25 mission will have an impact on the Moon base project, experts said it wouldn't, as they believe the failure was a result of Russia's decades-long absence from the field of lunar exploration, and does not indicate a lack of competence. However, they said it was a warning to be prudent and patient.

Wang Ya'nan, chief editor of Beijing-based Aerospace Knowledge magazine, told the Global Times on Thursday that the scientific community is working on a feasible approach for building the lunar base by using 3D printing technology. By utilizing the technology to process lunar soil into a concrete-like substance, it further reduces costs and improves efficiency.

Anatoly Petrukovich, head of the Space Research Institute at the Russian Academy of Sciences, said that it would be logical to first create units on the Moon's surface from already existing materials for maximum efficiency and coordinate different joint projects using them, Sputnik reported.

Experts believe that the cooperation between China and Russia on the project will have a "one plus one is greater than two" effect. For Russia, its advantages lie in its past experience of multiple lunar exploration missions during the Soviet era. Over the past few decades, Russia has not stopped pursuing this grand blueprint for the Moon, conducting extensive foundational research in areas such as astrophysics and chemistry, Wang noted.

In addition, Russia has demonstrated remarkable engineering innovation in this field, with its teams of engineers successfully overcoming many challenges in early human spaceflight during the Soviet era.

However, Russia's space development has been relatively lackluster, with a shortage of talent and resources in the aerospace field.

This is the part where China can fill in this gap, with its abundant economic resources as well as engineering resources. Having had a period of fast growth in aerospace technology, China has built a great number of reliable engineering resources that are always ready for new tasks. For example, there is the Chinese space station, manned and cargo spacecraft, and various kinds of carrier rockets that have served in major space tasks with a wide range of applications, Wang said.

Financially, China's investment in the space sector is also well planned, and able to withstand changes in the economic environment.

China also has a large amount of young talent in this area, and more high-level researchers are coming through, including those from Hong Kong and Macao in the foreseeable future.

"I believe that the cooperation between China and Russia will also be a mutual learning experience. For example, China's pursuit of meticulousness and Russia's innovative thinking can complement each other and bring out their respective strengths," Wang noted.

Being an inclusive project, the ILRS initiative is reported to have attracted support from nearly 20 countries from around the world, including South Africa, Belarus, Pakistan and Azerbaijan, as well as from The Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization (APSCO), and the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (NARIT).