China says its lunar lander passed Luna-landing and take-off tests
(2025/08/11)
- Reference: 1754893747
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2025/08/11/china_lunar_lander_test_success/
- Source link:
China’s Manned Space Engineering Network says the country’s first crewed lunar lander last week completed a comprehensive landing and takeoff verification test, bringing it closer to landing on Luna - and leaving it again afterwards.
The space agency last week [1]announced the Lanyue lunar lander successfully completed lengthy and technically difficult tests that simulated landing on an extraterrestrial body and then taking off again.
“The landing and takeoff integrated verification test systematically verified the compatibility of the lunar landing and takeoff system scheme, control scheme, lunar touchdown and shutdown scheme, and the interface compatibility between the GNC [Guidance, Navigation, and Control] (GNC) system and propulsion subsystems,” states the agency’s announcement. “The successful completion of the test marks a new and important breakthrough in the development of my country's manned lunar exploration program.”
[2]
The announcement of the successful test included the image below, without explanation of what’s depicted other than stating it took place at the extraterrestrial Landing Test Site in Huailai County, Hebei Province.
[3]
China's Lanyue lunar lander undergoing testing - Click to enlarge
China’s space strategy [4]calls for “manned lunar exploration” before 2027, and landing Taikonauts on Earth’s natural satellite in 2030.
By 2035, China hopes to develop an International Lunar Research Station with help from Russia.
[5]
[6]
To prepare for that effort, China’s [7]plans call for 2026’s Chang’e 7 mission and 2029’s Chang’e 8 to both land a rover near the Moon’s South Pole and “conduct scientific exploration and in-situ resource utilization experiments.”
The latter phrase is important because it describes efforts to use regolith as building material for the future Research Station.
[8]NASA boss says US may lose latest space race with China
[9]China to visit Earth’s ‘quasi-moon’ and bring a chunk of it back home
[10]China sends cloud powered by homebrew Loongson CPUs into space
[11]China's asteroid-and-comet hunter probe unfurls a 'solar wing'
China’s plan seems to be advancing rapidly, as in March 2025 state media [12]reported work on Lanyue was “currently in the preliminary prototype development phase, and the design work is proceeding on schedule.”
Just five months later, the lander passed a major test.
[13]
Lanyue can carry two taikonauts to and from the lunar surface. The craft’s design also allows for reconfiguration as a cargo carrier, which is how China will bring a rover and other payloads to Luna.
The USA plans its return to the Moon in mid-2027. ®
Get our [14]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.cmse.gov.cn/xwzx/202508/t20250807_56817.html
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aJm_ODAeBIxAZGLNCQRRZQAAAFQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://regmedia.co.uk/2025/08/11/supplied_cmse_china_lanyue_test.jpg
[4] https://www.theregister.com/2024/10/17/china_longterm_space_plan/
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aJm_ODAeBIxAZGLNCQRRZQAAAFQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aJm_ODAeBIxAZGLNCQRRZQAAAFQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://english.www.gov.cn/news/202504/24/content_WS6809d0a2c6d0868f4e8f208f.html
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2023/01/04/nasa_nelson_moon/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2025/05/29/china_tianwen_2_probe_launch/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2024/11/24/asia_tech_news_in_brief/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2025/06/09/chinas_asteroidandcomet_hunter_probe_unfurls/
[12] https://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202503/03/WS67c55e07a310c240449d8414.html
[13] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aJm_ODAeBIxAZGLNCQRRZQAAAFQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[14] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
The space agency last week [1]announced the Lanyue lunar lander successfully completed lengthy and technically difficult tests that simulated landing on an extraterrestrial body and then taking off again.
“The landing and takeoff integrated verification test systematically verified the compatibility of the lunar landing and takeoff system scheme, control scheme, lunar touchdown and shutdown scheme, and the interface compatibility between the GNC [Guidance, Navigation, and Control] (GNC) system and propulsion subsystems,” states the agency’s announcement. “The successful completion of the test marks a new and important breakthrough in the development of my country's manned lunar exploration program.”
[2]
The announcement of the successful test included the image below, without explanation of what’s depicted other than stating it took place at the extraterrestrial Landing Test Site in Huailai County, Hebei Province.
[3]
China's Lanyue lunar lander undergoing testing - Click to enlarge
China’s space strategy [4]calls for “manned lunar exploration” before 2027, and landing Taikonauts on Earth’s natural satellite in 2030.
By 2035, China hopes to develop an International Lunar Research Station with help from Russia.
[5]
[6]
To prepare for that effort, China’s [7]plans call for 2026’s Chang’e 7 mission and 2029’s Chang’e 8 to both land a rover near the Moon’s South Pole and “conduct scientific exploration and in-situ resource utilization experiments.”
The latter phrase is important because it describes efforts to use regolith as building material for the future Research Station.
[8]NASA boss says US may lose latest space race with China
[9]China to visit Earth’s ‘quasi-moon’ and bring a chunk of it back home
[10]China sends cloud powered by homebrew Loongson CPUs into space
[11]China's asteroid-and-comet hunter probe unfurls a 'solar wing'
China’s plan seems to be advancing rapidly, as in March 2025 state media [12]reported work on Lanyue was “currently in the preliminary prototype development phase, and the design work is proceeding on schedule.”
Just five months later, the lander passed a major test.
[13]
Lanyue can carry two taikonauts to and from the lunar surface. The craft’s design also allows for reconfiguration as a cargo carrier, which is how China will bring a rover and other payloads to Luna.
The USA plans its return to the Moon in mid-2027. ®
Get our [14]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.cmse.gov.cn/xwzx/202508/t20250807_56817.html
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aJm_ODAeBIxAZGLNCQRRZQAAAFQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://regmedia.co.uk/2025/08/11/supplied_cmse_china_lanyue_test.jpg
[4] https://www.theregister.com/2024/10/17/china_longterm_space_plan/
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aJm_ODAeBIxAZGLNCQRRZQAAAFQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aJm_ODAeBIxAZGLNCQRRZQAAAFQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://english.www.gov.cn/news/202504/24/content_WS6809d0a2c6d0868f4e8f208f.html
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2023/01/04/nasa_nelson_moon/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2025/05/29/china_tianwen_2_probe_launch/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2024/11/24/asia_tech_news_in_brief/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2025/06/09/chinas_asteroidandcomet_hunter_probe_unfurls/
[12] https://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202503/03/WS67c55e07a310c240449d8414.html
[13] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aJm_ODAeBIxAZGLNCQRRZQAAAFQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[14] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
KittenHuffer
Trump is going to issue an Executive Order that henceforth each year will become a single month. Therefore he will be able to stay in power for 12 times as long!
Though I still don't think the SLS would be ready by 2027!
----------> Mine's the one sewn up by the [1]Playtex ladies !
[1] https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/what-did-playtex-have-to-do-with-neil-armstrong-16588944/
Ian Johnston
"Luna"? Oh, I see. It's the moon to the sort of sci-fi fans who think "ebon" sounds better than "black".
The USA plans its return to the Moon in mid-2027
...but doesn't stand a chance of achieving that aim.