Photo:CCTV

China will select taikonauts for its first-ever manned moon landing mission from the current pool that has participated in spaceflight missions to the China Space Station, China's first astronaut and a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) disclosed during a latest video interview with the People's Daily.  

Yang Liwei, also deputy chief designer of China's manned space program, revealed during the interview released on Monday evening that the main products commissioned for the country's first manned moon landing mission, including the manned spacecraft Mengzhou, lander, launch vehicle, spacesuits and rover, have entered the prototype development stage, various large-scale experiments have also been initiated, and the construction of supporting facilities has begun. 

The scientific experiment plans for both the first unmanned flight and the first manned flight have essentially been finalized as well, Yang said.

According to a press release the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) provided to the Global Times on March 3, the country plans to carry out a manned lunar landing before 2030. 

Two carrier rockets will be launched to send a manned spacecraft and a lunar lander into lunar orbit. The spacecraft and lunar lander will rendezvous and dock, and then astronauts will enter the lander. Upon the lander's arrival on the moon's surface, astronauts will drive the lunar rover for scientific exploration, the Xinhua News Agency reported on March 3. 

Wu Weiren, chief designer of China's lunar exploration project, said during the same People's Daily interview that the Chinese people will resolutely deliver the planned lunar missions while underscoring that "our vision is not limited to the moon alone, and we will venture toward the more distant starry skies, such as Mars and beyond."

Wu, who is also the director general of China's Deep Space Exploration Laboratory, revealed in a statement the lab provided to the Global Times on Tuesday that China is also planning an International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) at the moon's south pole, which according to the lab, is the first major scientific project led or launched by our country over the years, with the primary goal of enabling long-term unmanned or manned operations on the moon while also supporting a short-term human presence for maintenance. 

The main purpose of this international lunar research station is to study the moon itself, including the exploration and utilization of lunar resources. For example, we could produce bricks on the moon, establish Wi-Fi networks, and enable communication capabilities. In the next phase, we might even develop communication, navigation and remote sensing technologies centered on the moon, laying the foundation for exploring deep space, the lab statement said. 

Currently, this project is in the feasibility study stage and is included in national planning. We aim to make it an international and open initiative, requiring collaboration with multiple countries. Our goal is to achieve participation from 50 countries, 500 foreign research institutions, and 5,000 overseas scientists within about 10 years, Wu said.  

Wu added that there is already a schedule for the country's Mars sample return mission, and it will not take too long to be carried out, likely within a few years, according to the People's Daily interview. 

Sun Zezhou, a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) and a senior researcher at China's leading space contractor the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp (CASC) previously revealed on the sidelines of the two sessions that China aims to carry out a Mars sample return mission around 2030.

The deputy chief of China's manned space program also stated that payload experts from the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions (SARs) are currently undergoing training at the Astronaut Center of China, preparing for future missions, in response to an inquiry concerning the fourth batch of candidate taikonaut selection. 

Yang expects more international cooperation in the field of manned space following the recent announcement that China and Pakistan had made a cooperation agreement on sending a Pakistani astronaut to the China Space Station.

The selection process will last about a year, with the Pakistani astronauts undergoing comprehensive and systematic training in China, according to the Xinhua News Agency. 

"It all demonstrates how the rapid development of our manned space program is driven by the comprehensive strength of our nation's technological and economic progress," Yang said.