BEIJING (Reuters) – Once China establishes a lunar research station, its astronauts will remain on the moon for a long time while conducting scientific studies, state media reported Sunday, citing the architect of China’s lunar program.
China has mapped out a series of unmanned missions this decade, including setting up a robotic base to explore the Moon’s Antarctic region, ahead of manned landings.
“If the lunar research station project is successfully implemented, China will not be far from manned landings,” said Wu Weiren, the lead designer of China’s lunar research program.
Last week, China and Russia signed an initial pact to set up an international lunar research station, but did not disclose a timeline.
“Compared to US astronauts who could stay only tens of hours after landing on the moon, Chinese astronauts will stay on the moon longer,” Wu said.
“This is going to be a long stay on the moon, not a short stop.”
China has successfully launched a series of lunar missions in recent years, including last year’s unsaved moon rock retrieval, the first since 1976 by any country.
But China is still lagging behind the United States in experience, expertise and technology.
NASA plans to return astronauts to the surface of the moon by 2024. NASA’s last manned landing was in 1972.
Chinese rockets don’t currently have enough thrust to send astronauts to the moon, Wu said, but China is aiming for breakthroughs in rocket design by 2021-2025.
In China’s next mission to the moon, lunar samples will be retrieved from the South Pole, he said.
Subsequent missions will include detailed exploration of South Pole resources and testing of key technologies in preparation for the construction of the research station, Wu said.
(Reporting by Ryan Woo; editing by Ana Nicolaci da Costa)