Nation unveils plan on crewed moon mission
Long March 10 rockets to carry astronauts, landing module to lunar orbit before 2030
China made public on Wednesday specific designs for its manned lunar mission, which is scheduled to be achieved before the end of this decade.
Speaking at a space industry forum in Wuhan, Hubei province, Zhang Hailian, deputy chief planner at the China Manned Space Agency, said the plan is to launch two Long March 10 carrier rockets from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan province to transport a lunar landing module and a manned spacecraft to lunar orbit.
After reaching their preset orbital positions, the landing module and the spacecraft carrying astronauts will rendezvous and dock with each other. The crew will enter the landing module, which will then undock and descend toward the lunar surface for an engine-assisted soft landing.
On the moon, the astronauts will drive a rover to carry out scientific tasks and collect samples. Upon the completion of their assignments, they will return to the landing module, which will fly them back to lunar orbit and dock with their spacecraft.
In the final stage, the astronauts will carry the samples into their spacecraft, which will then undock and carry the crew back to Earth.
"To achieve this goal, designers and engineers are developing the Long March 10 rocket. The model will have three-and-a-half stages and a liftoff weight of about 2,200 metric tons, capable of sending a 27-ton spacecraft into the lunar transfer orbit," Zhang said.
The manned spacecraft for the mission is in the middle of its research and development stage, according to Zhang.
"It will have an overall weight of 26 tons and will consist of three components — an escape tower, a reentry capsule and a service section," he said, adding that the new spaceship will feature reusability and modular designs that suit both near-Earth and deep-space explorations.
According to the space agency, the landing module will have two parts — a landing section and a propulsion section — and will weigh nearly 26 tons. It will accommodate two astronauts. The four-wheeled moon rover will weigh 200 kilograms and carry a host of scientific equipment.
In the long term, China intends to construct a lunar scientific outpost to conduct extended explorations and technology demonstration operations, Zhang said.
"The moon is the nearest extraterrestrial body that humans can reach based on current technologies. Manned missions to the moon will be a realistic and practical step ... to start with (in order) to expand our exploration endeavors in deep space.
"Meanwhile, it is scientifically meaningful for us to continue to explore the moon because it will help scientists better understand the origin and the evolution of the solar system as well as the composition of planets," Zhang said.
The massive project will welcome international cooperation and the participation of private enterprises, he added.
Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the space agency, said in May that in order to achieve the goal of a manned moon landing before 2030, scientists and engineers would develop a commuting system and short-term stay system for crew members, and would work out human-robot integrated testing and other key technologies.
译文：
（标题）中国披露载人登月任务方案
（副标题）长征十号运载火箭将在2030年前将航天员、登月舱送入月球轨道
中国在本周三公布了载人登月初步方案，计划在2030年前实现该方案提出的目标。
中国载人航天工程办公室副总师张海联在当日于武汉举办的一个商业航天论坛上披露，我国载人登月的初步方案是：从文昌航天发射场发射两枚长征十号运载火箭，分别将月面着陆器和载人飞船送至地月转移轨道；在到达预定轨道位置后，飞船和着陆器在环月轨道交会对接，航天员从飞船进入月面着陆器。其后，月面着陆器将下降并软着陆于月面预定区域，航天员乘组登上月球，驾驶月球车开展科学考察与样品采集。在完成既定任务后，航天员将乘坐着陆器上升至环月轨道与飞船交会对接，并携带样品乘坐飞船返回地球。
张海联在会上表示：“为实现这个目标，航天科研人员正在研制长征十号运载火箭。这型火箭将是三级半构型，起飞重量约为2200吨，可以将27吨有效载荷送入地月转移轨道。”
同时，载人登月任务所需的新型载人飞船也已经开始研制。
“新飞船入轨质量约为26吨，由逃逸塔、返回舱和服务舱组成，”张海联说。
他指出，新飞船的主要特点为模块化设计，能够适应近地和深空探测任务。同时，其返回舱可重复使用。
月面着陆器由登月舱和推进舱两部分构成，重约26吨，可将两名航天员送达月面。四轮载人月球车重约200千克，将携带科学探测仪器。
张海联表示，着眼未来，中国计划在月面建立一个月球科研站，用以开展时间较长的探索活动，并验证有关技术。
“月球是人类采用当代工程技术可以到达的最近的地外天体。载人月球探测是我国载人航天活动走向深空的路途中，符合逻辑和发展规律的现实选择。同时，月球具有很高的科学探索价值，关于月球的研究对理解太阳系起源、演变历史，以及行星构造等科学问题，具有重要意义。”
张海联还表示，中国载人月球探测工程将致力于推进国际合作，也欢迎商业航天企业参与工程研制。
载人航天工程办公室副主任林西强在5月曾表示，为在2030年前实现中国人首次登陆月球，科研人员将研发载人地月往返、月面短期驻留、人机联合探测等关键技术。
