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China on Thursday said it is on track to land astronauts on the Moon by 2030 as it introduced the next batch of astronauts who will visit its space station as part of the country’s ambitious plans to become a leader in space exploration.
“At present, each program of research and development work on sending a person to the Moon is progressing smoothly,” said Zhang Jingbo, a spokesman for China’s manned space program, citing the Long March 10 rocket, the moon landing suit and the exploration vehicle as fruitful efforts in that work. “China’s stated goal of landing a man on the Moon by 2030 remains firm.”
China is also preparing to send its latest rotation of astronauts who are part of an ongoing mission to complete the Tiangong space station, part of its broader space exploration plans. Each team spends six months inside the station doing research.
The latest crew to join the others on the station will be composed of Zhang Lu, Wu Fei and Zhang Hongzhang. They will lift off from the Jiuquan Launch Center in China at 11:44 pm on Friday. Zhang was previously part of the Shenzhou 15 mission to the station. For Wu and Zhang, it will be their first time in space.
In this journey, the astronauts will also take with them four rats, two male and two female. They will study the effects of weightlessness and confinement on animals.
China began work on the Tiangong or “Heavenly Palace” after the country was expelled from International Space Station Over US national security concerns over the Chinese space program’s direct ties to the People’s Liberation Army.