China plans to build its first base on the moon by 2028 and land astronauts on the moon in the next few years.
The lunar base is likely to be nuclear, reports Caixin. Its basic configuration consists of a lander, hopper, orbiter, and rover, all built by the Chang'e 6, 7, and 8 missions.
"Our astronaut will probably be able to go to the moon in 10 years," said Wu Weiran, the chief of China's lunar exploration program and his designer, earlier this week. said in an interview with state broadcaster CCTV. Nuclear energy can meet the lunar station's long-term energy needs at high output, he said.
China has stepped up its space ambitions in recent years, sending a probe to the moon, building its own space station, and targeting Mars. This plan put it in direct competition with the United States. NASA has a rover on Mars and is about to bring astronauts back to the moon for the first time in her decade since the Apollo program ended in the 1970s.
Both China and the United States are spending billions of dollars not only to put humans on the moon, but to access resources that could sustain life on the moon and send spacecraft to Mars.
In 2019, China became the first country to land a rover on the far side of the Moon, after which it took home its first lunar sample. The base is said to be the first outpost on the moon's south pole, which scientists believe is the best place to find water. NASA is also targeting this part of the Moon. China eventually wants to expand the base into an international research station.