China plans to finish new spacecraft for lunar missions by 2027

The deputy chief of China’s manned space program said on Wednesday that the construction of the first reusable spacecraft with a crew of seven will be completed by 2027.

Vice Chief Designer at China Manned Space Engineering Office Yang Liwei said it will also play a critical role in the future construction of China’s space station and moon landing mission.

As part of China’s manned space program, new spacecraft will be produced for its manned landing on the moon and space station construction on its surface, the daily South China Morning Post reported.

The spacecraft will have the capacity to carry seven astronauts, making it comparable to SpaceX’s Dragon V2 and Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner, the daily said.

It is planned to measure 8.8 meters in length and weigh 21.6 tons, twice the size of Dragon V2.

It will be used with a separate lunar landing spaceship, specialized lunar spacesuits, manned rovers, and other equipment to achieve China’s moon landing goal by 2030.

Beijing plans to explore the construction of a lunar scientific research and experimental station and undertake systematic and continuous lunar exploration and related technical test verification with the moon landing program.

The plan involves utilizing two carrier rockets to independently send the lunar lander and manned spacecraft to the lunar orbit for docking purposes.

Once in the lunar orbit, the astronauts will transition from the spacecraft to the lunar lander. Subsequently, the lunar lander will descend and touch down in a designated area on the moon, enabling the astronauts to conduct scientific research activities and collect samples.

After completing the mission, the astronauts will ascend from the lunar lander to the lunar orbit for docking with the spacecraft and then return to Earth with the samples.