China has named the spacecraft that will put its astronauts on the moon. The new manned spacecraft is Mengzhou and the lunar lander is Lanyue. China plans to land its astronauts on the moon around 2030. Check the table to learn the details on China's exciting journey to the moon.
MENGZHOU AND LANYUE Take Chinese People's Dream To The Moon Closer | |
Mengzhou— The manned spacecraft Meaning of the name: Dream boat The name carries the Chinese people's space exploration dreams to the moon. Main tasks: •Carry out China's manned lunar exploration •Operate near-Earth space station Payload: For lunar tasks, it can carry 3 astronauts round trip between the ground and lunar orbit (轨道). For near-Earth orbit tasks, it can carry 7 astronauts round trip between the ground and space station. | Lanyue — The lunar lander Meaning of the name: Clasping the moon The name symbolizes the bravery and confidence of the Chinese people in exploring the universe and landing on the moon. Main tasks: •Transport between lunar orbit and lunar surface •Serve as the center for astronaut activities, energy supply, and data transmission on the moon •Support lunar exploration and activities Payload: It can carry 2 astronauts round trip, lunar rover, and scientific payloads. |
Exploration Steps 1 Two Long March-10 rockets are launched (发射). One carries Mengzhou and the other carries Lanyue. 2. The two spacecraft meet and join in lunar orbit and the astronauts enter the lander. 3. The Lanyue lander sends the astronauts to the lunar surface. 4. The astronauts carry out scientific exploration and sample (样本) collection on the lunar surface as planned. 5. After completing the job on the moon, the Lanyue lander takes the astronauts to go up to lunar orbit. 6. The two spacecraft meet and join again, and the astronauts take the lunar samples to the Mengzhou spacecraft. 7. The Mengzhou spacecraft returns to Earth with the moon samples. | |
