Lanyue

Mission Profile

Lanyue is China's planned crewed lunar lander, currently in development as part of China's goal to land taikonauts on the Moon before 2030. The vehicle is designed to carry two crew members from lunar orbit to the surface and back, operating in conjunction with the Mengzhou crewed spacecraft and launched separately atop a Long March 10 rocket. Lanyue will use a multi-stage descent and ascent architecture broadly similar to the Apollo Lunar Module but incorporating modern propulsion and digital systems developed during China's Chang'e robotic lunar program. The lander represents the capstone hardware of China's phased lunar exploration strategy that began with the Chang'e orbiters and sample return missions.