A Comprehensive Look at China’s Current Moon Plans, Updates on Commercial Companies, and the Progress of Wenchang Commercial Pad
China’s lunar exploration plans were recently detailed, outlining missions such as Chang’e-6 and Chang’e-7. Chang’e-6 aims to return a lunar sample from the far side of the Moon, while Chang’e-7 will focus on environmental and resource surveys of the lunar south pole. These missions will utilize the Chang Zheng 5 rocket and are planned to launch in May 2022 and 2026, respectively. China also discussed its future International Lunar Research Station and plans for a crewed lunar landing before 2030, as part of its Mars exploration plans.
Private companies in China, such as LandSpace and Space Pioneer, are also making progress in their space exploration ventures. LandSpace has successfully launched a methane-powered rocket into orbit and is developing reusable rocket technology for its upcoming ZhuQue-3 rocket. Space Pioneer’s Tianlong-3 rocket is currently in assembly and integration, with plans for a test flight in July 2024.
The commercial complex in Wenchang, known as the Wenchang Commercial Space Launch Site, is preparing to host private Chinese rockets. The launch complex aims to support upcoming rockets, including Tianlong-3, and provides advantages such as not flying over populated areas.
In addition to these updates, China’s launch cadence for 2024 was revealed, with plans for approximately 100 rocket launches this year. Of these, 70 launches will be from nationally-produced rockets, while around 30 are commercial launches. New rockets, such as the upgraded Chang Zheng 6 “C” version and Chang Zheng 12, are set to debut in 2024.
China recently launched the Queqiao-2 relay satellite using the Chang Zheng 8 rocket. The launch was successful and the spacecraft will provide relay capabilities for future lunar missions. The Tiandu-1 and Tiandu-2 satellites were also launched as secondary payloads to test cis-lunar space navigation and satellite-to-satellite communications.
The Chang Zheng 5 rocket launched the TJSW-11 communication satellite, the Chang Zheng 3B/E launched the WHG-01 satellite for testing a new internet constellation technology, and the Chang Zheng 2D/YZ-3 launched the Yunhai-2 Group 02 meteorological satellites.
However, there was a partial launch failure with the Chang Zheng 2C rocket during the DRO-A/B mission. The upper stage of the rocket experienced an issue and was unable to insert the test satellite into the planned orbit. Despite this, some of the planned testing can still be conducted.
Other launches included the Chang Zheng 2C with the Geely Constellation Group 02 satellites for testing autonomous driving and inter-vehicle communication, the Jielong-3 rocket with nine rideshare payloads, and the Kinetica 1 rocket with five Taijing satellites for spatial observation.
Overall, China’s lunar exploration plans and private company advancements highlight its increasing presence in the space industry. With a busy launch cadence and developments in reusable rockets, China is becoming a major player in space exploration and commercial space activities.
