By 
May 27th, 2026
Image credit: CMSA/CCTV/Inside Outer Space screengrab
A few days prior to NASA’s update on its Moon Base plans, China is shifting gears in its own humans on the lunar surface outing.
China is establishing an integrated program called the Lunar Exploration Program, melding both its robotic Chang’e lunar probe activities with the country’s human spaceflight program.
Zhang Jingbo, spokesman for the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) agency, made the announcement at a May 23 pre-launch event for the Shenzhou-23 crewed launch.
Speaking at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, Zhang said that “to fully leverage the technological expertise and practical experience accumulated over decades” via its human spaceflight and Chang’e programs, “the existing manned lunar landing and unmanned lunar exploration efforts will be integrated across three areas of missions, resources, and teams.”
“We will spare no effort to strive for the goal of achieving the first Chinese landing on the Moon by 2030,” Zhang added.
For more details, go to my new Space.com story – “China shakes up its space programs to land astronauts on the moon by 2030: ‘We will spare no effort’” – at:
Image credit: CCTV/Inside Outer Space screengrab
Posted in Space News
