The Chinese Space Agency has made public its plans for a landing on the Moon. It will be, if everything works as they hope, in the 2030s. At the beginning or at the end, it is not clear. Currently, NASA hopes to do so in September 2026, but the delays suffered so far suggest that it will probably be postponed a little further. So it is possible that in the future we will witness a repeat of the race that the United States and the USSR carried out in the 1960s. At the moment, China has already placed three devices on the lunar surface in recent years and the last Wednesday successfully launched the Queqiao-2 satellite as the spearhead, to improve communication from Earth and support upcoming missions to the far side and south pole of the Moon.
Half a century ago, the Soviet Union kept its plans in the strictest secrecy. In fact, after the moon landing Apollo 11, officially denied that he had intended to go to the Moon, risking lives when identical results could be achieved using robots. And the truth is that in that field he achieved spectacular successes. Only in the Gorbachev era did models of what must have been Soviet moonships begin to appear here and there. Although the Kremlin had ordered all traces of the program destroyed, some of the material survived long enough for historians to get an idea of what could have been and was not.
Now, China applies a somewhat more transparent policy. It still does not provide many details, but it has recently shown its lunar ship models with names and everything: the main capsule, which will take three astronauts to the Moon and bring them back, will be called Mengzhou (which translates as dream ship); the descent module to the surface, Lanyue (hug the Moon). They are two names that are very popular in Chinese culture.according to the tradition of other vehicles, which were baptized as a celestial palace or divine ship.
Half a century ago, the Soviets and Americans decided to use a single launcher to simultaneously raise the manned module and the lunar landing module. That required monstrous rockets like the US Saturn V or the USSR's N-1. For now, China does not have such powerful space shuttles, so it will send the two pieces separately. The rocket used will be a three-body model whose appearance is very reminiscent of SpaceX's Falcon Heavy, the one that sent Elon Musk's convertible Tesla into space on its inaugural flight.
First, the lunar landing module will be launched to enter orbit around the Moon, waiting for two astronauts to arrive there (taikonauts, in its Chinese version). Once this first maneuver is completed, and with the Lanyue correctly parked (circling the Moon), a second rocket will propel the Mengzhou with its three crew members from Earth to lunar orbit. There she will dock with the descent vehicle in a similar way to what those in the Apollo program did. Two astronauts will pass through an internal hatch, separate the two ships and begin the landing maneuver.
New race to the Moon: similarities and differences
The Chinese lunar landing module is more inspired by the Russian system (which was never used) than by the American one. It will be mounted on a large rocket, responsible for carrying out most of the braking on the Moon until it reaches a low height above the ground. There it will come off, leaving the Lanyue complete the last meters of the descent supported by its four twin engines.
The Chinese lunar lander has capacity for two people; Its landing gear consists of four legs with a cushioning system; The square exit hatch leads directly to a staircase attached to the front leg. These details are very reminiscent of the Apollo Lunar Module; and its weight will be similar, perhaps slightly higher in the Chinese vehicle. But there the similarities end.
He Lanyue It only has one set of engines; The American lunar module had two, independent, one for landing and another for rising again. Each one with its own control systems and fuel reserves. China appears to have adopted a solution identical to that of the Russians 60 years ago: a large expendable rocket in full descent and comparatively weak engines for the final phase of landing.
Back on Earth, the same set of engines will be used for takeoff as for descent. Again, the same solution adopted in the Russian lunar module of the 1960s. For greater security, it had two reactors; he Lanyue will take four. The lunar module Apollo He trusted everything to only one person, other than the landing one. Of course, construction was so simple that, in theory, there was nothing that could fail. The four engines of the Lanyue They develop a combined thrust of about 3 tons. In the reduced lunar gravity, they could lift a load of 15,000 kilos, about what a Apollo complete (that is, with the lower segment and legs included).
The descent vehicle could be reused
It seems that, unlike the Apollo program, the Chinese project could take off from the Moon with the entire ship, without having to leave dead weight such as the landing gear on the ground. After returning to lunar orbit, it will dock with the main ship where the third astronaut is waiting to return home, leaving the lunar landing vehicle behind.
In the American and Soviet programs of the 20th century, once the astronauts were gathered in orbit, the lunar module was discarded by crashing it into the surface. Since its landing segment had been left on the ground, it was no longer of any use. But if the entire Chinese lunar module remains again parked circling the Moon, an interesting possibility opens up: refuel it and use it in a second expedition.
The Chinese space agency has not clarified anything on the matter. A refueling maneuver in orbit requires mastering two techniques: automatic rendezvous and the transfer of liquid from one ship to another. Already in 2020, China demonstrated with its robot Chang'e 5 who has solved the first challenge. Refueling is another matter; which, by the way, also worries Elon Musk and his mega rocket Starshipsince it will be an essential operation for the mission's crew to descend to the Moon Artemis 3. And it has not yet been experienced.
He Lanyue It has two pieces on the roof that resemble Mickey Mouse ears. They are foldable photoelectric panels like a Chinese fan. Powered by solar energy, its stay on the Moon can last up to 15 days, much longer than the lunar module Apollowhich only had non-rechargeable batteries.
On the other hand, the apparent absence of windows is surprising, although the design may change. The Chinese space agency has announced that the Lanyue It can operate under manual control or in an automatic version; but if there are taikonauts on board, it seems reasonable to allow them to see the panorama toward which they are heading. Those in the Apollo program always landed under manual control, but China has developed excellent automatic landing systems that have allowed it to descend several times, not only on the Moon, but also on Mars. Unlike other competitors, a Chinese probe has never crashed on the Moon.
The model of the Chinese lunar ship also includes a four-wheeled vehicle folded and attached to the outside of the cabin. For now it is just a project, the development of which has been entrusted to an independent company. Just like NASA did when it hired Boeing to build the electric strollers used in the last three lunar expeditions.
Objectives and weaknesses of the Chinese program
On the other hand, some experts have pointed out certain weaknesses in the Chinese design. The main one, the danger of damaging the engines during landing, which would pose a very serious risk for the two astronauts. during the mission Apollo 15, the lunar module's nozzle was deformed when it hit the ground. The incident had no consequences because that engine was only used in the descent, while the takeoff engine was still safe inside the cabin. But in the Chinese case, all the nozzles are unprotected and exposed to damage from impacts or the rebound of fragments carried by the exhaust gases.
Except for the announcement of its intention to reach the Moon in the next decade, the Chinese agency has not published any flight schedule. If the experience of sixty years ago is anything to go by, we can expect at least four test missions, some unmanned and others limited to orbit. In any case, the final launch rocket will not be ready for about three years.
Only when the vehicles have proven their reliability can the moon landing be attempted. They have already identified about thirty possible places, which include the Shackelton crater (near the South Pole) and even one on the far side (in the Moscow Sea), although given the difficulties involved, it is likely that it will be left for much later. In all likelihood, the first will be in the equatorial zone, where there are wide plains relatively free of obstacles.
The ultimate goal of the program is not just to plant national flags and return with a few kilos of rocks, but to establish a permanent base, probably near the south. The Chinese agency refers to it as ILRS (International Lunar Research Station), although so far few countries have proposed collaborating. The Artemis agreements, a rival initiative sponsored by NASA, to coordinate the future exploration of our satellite, already bring together 35 signatory countries, with Spain among them.
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