China outlines a two-launch plan to land astronauts on the Moon before 2030

The hardware

• Long March 10 rockets, two launches
• Mengzhou crew ship
• Lanyue lunar lander

Two Long March 10 rockets will launch the Mengzhou spacecraft and the Lanyue lander separately, then dock in lunar orbit. Three astronauts fly; two land.

Timeline

1. Early 2027

   Uncrewed Mengzhou test in low Earth orbit

2. 2028

   Uncrewed Lanyue landing and ascent test

3. 2029

   Two launches dock in lunar orbit, uncrewed

4. Before 2030

   Crewed landing

Uncrewed tests come first, with the lunar landing itself set for before 2030.