China's Moon Program

The Chang'e Programme: A Decade of World Firsts

China's lunar exploration programme officially launched in 2007 with Chang'e 1, an orbital mission designed to map the Moon's surface. What followed was a systematic, patient programme of escalating capability — each mission building on the last, each one proving out technology needed for the next step.

The pace and reliability of China's lunar programme has been remarkable. In 15 years, China went from its first lunar orbiter to returning samples from the far side of the Moon — a feat no other space agency had ever achieved. Every mission in the Chang'e series has been successful.

The Rockets: Long March 10 and Long March 9

China's crewed lunar ambitions require a generational leap in launch capability. The Long March 5 — China's current most powerful rocket — can lift about 8,000 kg to a trans-lunar trajectory. That's not enough for a crewed moon mission. Two new rockets are being developed to change that.

The two-rocket architecture for crewed lunar landings mirrors the approach NASA used during Apollo — separate launches for the crew vehicle and the lander, rendezvous in lunar orbit. It's a proven concept, and China's engineers know it works. Long March 10's development is considered one of the most important projects in China's space programme and is described officially as progressing "smoothly."

Why the South Pole? Water Ice, Sunlight, and Strategic Position

Both China and the United States are targeting the same place: the lunar south pole. This is not a coincidence, and it's not just about scientific interest. The south pole is where the Moon's most valuable resources are concentrated — and where any permanent human presence will need to be.

The south pole has three things no other part of the Moon has in combination:

The International Lunar Research Station (ILRS)

The ILRS is China's answer to the question of what comes after a crewed landing. Where NASA has spoken in broad terms about "sustainable lunar exploration," China has published a phased construction plan with specific dates, specific technology goals, and a specific site.

Construction is planned in two phases. Phase 1 runs from approximately 2031 to 2035 and will establish a basic operational facility at the south pole: power systems, communications infrastructure, science modules, and the beginnings of ISRU production. Phase 2 — extending to 2050 — will expand into a network connecting the south pole, the lunar equator, and the far side, each node serving different scientific and operational purposes.

Power is a critical and often overlooked detail. China and Russia have formally agreed to develop a nuclear fission reactor to power the ILRS — something NASA has not yet committed to for its own lunar operations. Nuclear power solves the two-week lunar night problem definitively, making round-the-clock operations possible regardless of the sun.

Who's Joining China?

As of 2026, 17 countries and more than 50 research institutions have signed up to the ILRS. China's partners are a geopolitically significant list — not NATO allies, but a coalition of Global South nations, post-Soviet states, and countries that have either been excluded from or chosen not to join the US-led Artemis Accords framework.

The ILRS partnership model differs from the Artemis Accords in important ways. The Accords are a set of principles — essentially a US-led framework for how countries should behave in space. The ILRS is an operational project: partners contribute scientific instruments, expertise, or resources in exchange for access to the station and its data. China has described it as an "open" platform, explicitly inviting countries that have not signed the Artemis Accords to participate.

The Crew Mission: Mengzhou and Lanyue

China's first crewed lunar landing will use two vehicles developed specifically for the mission — neither of which has flown yet, but both of which China says are on track.

The two-launch architecture means the Lanyue lander will be sent to the Moon first, wait in lunar orbit, and then rendezvous with Mengzhou once the crew arrives. Both vehicles are named with characteristic poetic intent — a tradition in China's space programme that reflects the cultural weight attached to lunar exploration.

What Does China Actually Want From the Moon?

China's lunar programme serves several distinct objectives, and it's worth separating them clearly — because they range from the purely scientific to the highly strategic.

Scientific research is the stated primary purpose of the ILRS. Lunar geology, the history of the early Solar System, radio astronomy from the far side (shielded from Earth's radio frequency interference), and the space environment between the Earth and Moon are all genuine research priorities. The sample returns from Chang'e 5 and 6 have already produced significant scientific findings.

In-situ resource utilisation is the practical foundation for everything else. If you can make propellant from lunar water ice, you can refuel spacecraft on the Moon. If you can print structures from lunar regolith, you don't need to launch building materials from Earth. Chang'e 8 will test both of these capabilities. Without ISRU, a permanent lunar base is impossibly expensive. With it, the Moon becomes a logistics node for the entire inner Solar System.

Helium-3 for fusion energy is the long game. China is one of the most active nations in fusion energy research and has made explicit statements linking the lunar programme to long-term energy security. Helium-3 is extraordinarily rare on Earth but deposited in the lunar regolith by the solar wind over billions of years. Whether commercial helium-3 extraction is economically viable remains scientifically contested — but China is building the infrastructure to find out.

Geopolitical positioning underpins all of the above. China's ILRS, its partner coalition, and its explicit rejection of the Artemis Accords framework are not merely technical choices — they represent a deliberate effort to establish an alternative centre of gravity for international space cooperation, one that China leads and defines. The Moon is where that contest is being played out most visibly.

China vs the US: Where Does the Race Stand?

As of June 2026, NASA has a genuine but narrow lead on crewed capability. Artemis II — a crewed lunar flyby — completed successfully in April 2026. China's equivalent mission (a crewed lunar flyby) has not yet been scheduled. NASA is targeting its first crewed landing (Artemis IV) for early 2028; China is targeting 2029–2030. On that basis, the US is likely to get humans on the Moon first — by roughly one to two years.

But "first crewed landing" is only one metric. On long-term planning, China leads decisively. The ILRS has a specific construction timeline, committed partner nations, a nuclear power plan, and defined milestones through 2050. NASA's equivalent — a permanent presence at the south pole — has no equivalent specificity or commitment beyond the early 2030s. Artemis is a mission programme; the ILRS is an infrastructure programme.

The most consequential uncertainty is the south pole itself. Both programmes are targeting the same small region, and there are no agreed rules governing who can build where, or who can use the water ice in a particular crater. The Artemis Accords attempt to establish norms — including "safety zones" around lunar operations — but China is not party to them and has described the Accords as an instrument of US hegemony.

What's Next: The Timeline to Watch

The next two years will be defining. Chang'e 7 launching in August 2026 is the most important near-term mission — it will characterise the south pole landing sites, confirm water ice deposits, and directly inform the location of the ILRS base. Its success or failure will be a significant indicator of China's readiness for crewed operations.

Simultaneously, NASA's Artemis III mission in mid-2027 will test SpaceX's Starship HLS and Blue Origin's Blue Moon lander in Earth orbit — a key step before Artemis IV. The state of Starship HLS development will determine whether the 2028 landing target is achievable or slips further.

By 2030, we will very likely know which country has landed humans on the Moon first in the 21st century. What happens after that — who builds what, where, and with whom — will define the next century of human activity beyond Earth.

WatchTheStars will be covering every mission, every milestone, and every development as they happen. See the US Artemis Programme deep-dive and the Moon Race hub page for the full picture.

--- **Sources and Further Reading:** - [Chinese Lunar Exploration Program — Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Lunar_Exploration_Program) - [Chang'e 7 — Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chang%27e_7) - [China Confirms Crewed Lunar Landing by 2030 — The Defense News](https://www.thedefensenews.com/news-details/China-Confirms-Crewed-Lunar-Landing-by-2030-Plans-Permanent-Moon-Base-by-2035-to-Harness-Helium-3-Energy/) - [China shakes up its space programs — Space.com](https://www.space.com/space-exploration/china-shakes-up-its-space-programs-to-land-astronauts-on-the-moon-by-2030-we-will-spare-no-effort) - [International Lunar Research Station — Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Lunar_Research_Station) - [ILRS Guide for Partnership — CNSA](https://www.cnsa.gov.cn/english/n6465652/n6465653/c6812150/content.html) - [US–China space race accelerates — Christian Science Monitor](https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2026/0409/artemis-II-china-space-race)