China’s manned and unmanned lunar program

There are several planned lunar missions over the next few years.


Country    Name                             Launch due
USA        LADEE                            August, 2013
China     Chang'e 3  Second half         2013
(Private)  GLXP Moon Express                2015
Russia     Luna-Glob 2 / Luna-Resurs        2014
China      Chang'e 4                        2015
Russia     Luna-Glob 1                      2015
India      Chandrayaan-2                    2016
China      Chang'e 5                        2017
USA        ILN Node 1                       2018
USA        ILN Node 2                       2018

China is planning and unmanned rover landing this year.

China is working towards a manned lunar mission in about 2025.

China is acquiring manned lunar landing technology from the Ukraine and working with the Ukraine on rockets.

Ukraine had previously offered the People’s Republic of China the so-called unit “E”, developed by Yuzhnoye DO which was responsible for the landing from the lunar orbit to the Moon and return to the orbit. He said that although the project did not take place and once [the Soviet] program was shut down, the unit, however, was seriously improved. “On that basis, but at the current level we have gained a lot to build engines, stages for orbital missions, including missions to the Moon,” the Yuzhnoye DO chief emphasized.

The lunar lander is described on Russianspaceweb. However, the actual unit is in a warehouse in the Ukraine and the actual design work was in the Ukraine.

Here is a 35 document that describes the Yuznoye design office capabilities.

China is also leveraging Ukrainian Zenit rocket engine technology.

China is leveraging Russian Soyuz and Ukrainian space technology.

China has a long term commitment to achieving incrementally greater space goals.

A primary driver is national prestige. It is a like Roman bread and circuses for the masses.

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