China Tests Crewed Lander, Plans Moon Station by 2035

China has successfully conducted its first comprehensive test of the Lanyue crewed lunar lander, designed to transport two astronauts and a lunar rover between lunar orbit and the Moon's surface. The test, held in Hebei province, simulated a realistic lunar environment to validate the lander's ascent, descent, and integrated systems, with safety redundancies such as multiple engines for crew protection. This marks China's first full off-Earth landing and takeoff trial with a human-rated spacecraft and demonstrates significant progress toward a sustained human presence on the Moon by 2030. The achievement comes as the U.S. Artemis program faces delays, intensifying competition in lunar exploration. If successful, China's manned lunar landing would pave the way for construction of an international lunar research station by 2035, in partnership with Russia and other collaborators. The Lanyue lander will also serve as a habitat, power source, and data hub for future lunar missions.