China publicly discloses plan for a lunar landing within three years

China has publicly outlined a sequence of missions intended to put astronauts on the Moon before 2030, giving outsiders a clearer way to track its progress. The plan uses separate launches for the crew spacecraft and lunar lander, which would meet in lunar orbit. An uncrewed Long March 10A test carrying the Mengzhou spacecraft is targeted for early 2027. In 2028, China plans to test the larger Long March 10 and the Lanyue lander, including landing on and ascending from the Moon. A 2029 mission would send both vehicles uncrewed to dock in lunar orbit; a subsequent dual launch with astronauts aboard Mengzhou would attempt the landing. The published sequence does not include a crewed lunar flyby or orbit mission like Apollo 8 or Artemis II.

The schedule sharpens competition with NASA, which targets a crewed landing in 2028, but faces uncertainty over its lunar landers, under development by SpaceX and Blue Origin. China’s program is difficult to assess from outside, yet it has demonstrated progress: a tether-supported test of a full-scale Lanyue mock-up took place in 2025, and the Mengzhou vehicle for the planned 2027 test has reached its launch site. The near-term contest carries geopolitical weight, while both countries are also pursuing longer-term lunar presence, especially near the south pole. NASA has been reorganizing Artemis plans and aims to develop a lunar surface base over the coming decade.