China plans to land its first-ever lunar lander by 2021. The country will use the asteroid belt for its test objectives. It is a huge space project; there will be some funding, and this mission is a stepping stone to the Chinese lunar program. China plans to use the asteroid belt as a testing ground for its LCC (LINE capsules) and lunar missions. This will also help China to learn how to use the space rock as a launch vehicle as well. China’s lunar program is in fact in place for decades, but it will take another decade to accomplish the goal of putting a man on the moon.
The Chinese have been working on this for about ten years, but they are only now getting closer to realizing their goal. Plans are afoot to land an unmanned probe on the far side of the moon to gather data for future space exploration. There are even studies that suggest the possibility of using captured meteorites for a space habitat and base. China plans to land a lunar lander and lunar orbiter by around 2021. That is right around the next decade and a half away.
If China does not land its first-ever lunar probe on Chinese soil, they will be in that class all the way. China has many accomplishments to their credit, but they still have a long way to go to achieve global dominance in space. Now that will be something to watch for as China embarks on its space program.
While China plans to land its first-ever lunar lander by around 2021, the program will not likely be started until around 2021 at the earliest. One reason for this is that NASA is not going to allow them to use a piece of moon rock, as they would like to keep it for studying purposes. Another reason is that China would have to wait for an independent country to get theirs first too. There were talks of getting one from Russia, but that plan was eventually dropped. Maybe someday those two countries will cooperate, but for now, China’s lunar missions will remain a top secret.
If China does land its first lunar probe, it will take a huge step forward and solidify China’s place in the world. It will show the world that they are technologically and scientifically very advanced. The United States has been very behind NASA and now they will have a very strong rival. They will show the world that anything is possible when you consider the sheer technological advancement of China. They will show that China is willing to do what it takes to reach that status.
If China plans to land its first lunar lander on the moon that will be a huge step forward in showing the rest of the world that they are indeed serious about becoming a spacefaring nation. And, if they successfully complete this mission, they will set the bar higher for future Chinese lunar missions. That’s a scary thought for NASA.
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