China names ‘Dream Vessel’ spacecraft it hopes will take astronauts to the moon

Hong Kong CNN —

China’s space agency has revealed the names of the spacecraft that it hopes will take Chinese astronauts to the moon by the end of the decade.

In a news release over the weekend, the China Manned Space Agency said development was “progressing well” on the spaceship Mengzhou, or Dream Vessel, the lander, Lanyue, or Embracing the Moon, and a super-heavy-lift carrier rocket named Long March 10.

The craft are part of an ambitious program Beijing hopes will confirm its status as a major space power.

China has not released a date for its expected manned lunar mission but has said it would take place by 2030 as it aims to become only the second country to land astronauts on the moon.

The Mengzhou spacecraft is made up of both a reentry module that will house astronauts and serve as the control center, and a service module for power and propulsion systems. The vehicle will be nearly 9 meters long and weigh 22 metric tons, according to state media.

The Lanyue lunar lander will accommodate two astronauts and a 200-kilogram rover, reports said.

Odysseus passes over the near side of the Moon following lunar orbit insertion on 21FEB2024. The lander continues to be in excellent health in lunar orbit.

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The names of the craft were picked by a group of experts from nearly 2,000 proposals solicited from the public, according to the space agency.

“Lanyue” first appeared in a poem written by the People’s Republic of China founder Mao Zedong in 1965, and “symbolizes the Chinese people’s aspiration and confidence in their exploration of the universe and expedition to the moon,” the agency said.

The name Mengzhou is linked to