Moon gear: China building lander, rover and spacesuit for lunar missions (video)
China is developing spacecraft and a spacesuit to allow its astronauts to land and explore the moon.
Concepts for a lunar lander, rover and spacesuit were presented by Zhang Hailian, deputy chief designer at the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) at the China Commercial Aerospace Forum in the city of Wuhan on July 12.
The new spacecraft and suit are being developed as part of China’s plan to land astronauts on the moon before 2030.
Related: China plans to put astronauts on the moon before 2030
China is also building a new crew spacecraft capable of flying to and returning from the moon, and developing a new rocket to launch both the landing and crewed segments.
Zhang said the lunar lander will have a mass of about 57,320 pounds (26,000 kilograms) and be composed of a landing module and a propulsion module. It is designed to carry two astronauts to the lunar surface and back into lunar orbit.
The rover will have a mass of 440 pounds (200 kg) and carry a pair of astronauts. It's designed to have a range of 6.2 miles (10 kilometers) across the lunar surface.
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"After the lunar lander delivers the two astronauts, the lunar rover and the relevant payloads to the surface of the moon, the astronauts will get inside the lunar rover to carry out lunar sampling and corresponding experiments within a range of 10 kilometers," Zhang said, according to CCTV+.
China is leading an International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) project, which is seen as a rival to the U.S.-led Artemis program. Venezuela signed up to the ILRS earlier this month.
