SpaceNov 3, 2026, 6:19 PM UTC·1 min read

China Outlines Crewed Moon Landing Plan, First Try Set for 2028

At a crewed spaceflight conference in Beijing, Chinese space officials presented their most detailed plan yet for putting astronauts on the Moon, with a first attempt in 2028.

Illustration of a Chinese astronaut standing on the lunar surface next to a landing spacecraft. — Image: Antyweb

SUMO

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China has laid out its most detailed roadmap so far for sending astronauts to the surface of the Moon, with a first landing attempt scheduled for 2028.

The plan was presented by representatives of the country's space sector at the seventh Crewed Spaceflight Conference in Beijing. According to the participants, it is the most comprehensive public description to date of how China intends to take people to the lunar surface.

Why the timeline matters

A first attempt in 2028 gives the programme a concrete date after years of general statements about Chinese ambitions on the Moon. A fixed schedule lets observers judge progress against specific milestones, from hardware testing to mission rehearsals, as the date approaches.

The announcement also places China firmly among the countries working on returning humans to the Moon, a field that has drawn growing attention from governments and private companies alike. A dated plan signals that Beijing treats a crewed landing as a near-term engineering goal rather than a distant aspiration.

What to watch next

The material available so far does not detail every element of the architecture, so questions remain about the exact mission profile, crew size and how many test flights will precede the landing. Those details are likely to emerge as development proceeds and as further conferences and mission updates are published.

For now, the key takeaway is the target: a first crewed attempt to reach the lunar surface in 2028, backed by a plan China's space community describes in unusual detail.