China plans to complete the construction of a nuclear-powered base by 2028, before manned missions to the Moon begin.
Vu Veyrin, the chief designer of the lunar exploration program, gave information about the country’s plans for exploration activities on the Moon and in deep space in an interview with state television CCTV
Stating that they envision to organize manned expeditions to the Moon within ten years, Vu stated that they aim to establish a base that will operate with nuclear energy by 2028.
In 2019, China was the first country to land the “Chang’ı 4” robotic vehicle on the dark side of the Moon, becoming the first country to achieve this. Then, the “Chang’ı 5” exploration vehicle launched in 2021 delivered rock and soil samples collected from the surface of the Moon to the world.
Vu stated that new missions will be added to the exploration missions named after the Moon goddess in Chinese mythology in the coming years, and that “Chang’ı 6” missions are planned to collect rock and soil samples from the dark side of the Moon and “Chang’ı 7” missions are planned to explore the south pole.
Noting that they aim to establish a base that will form the basis of a scientific research station at the south pole of the Moon with the “Chang’ı 8” mission planned for 2028, Vu said that the base will consist of an orbiting satellite, a landing shuttle, a landing and take-off reconnaissance vehicle, a wheeled rover reconnaissance vehicle and other technical equipment.
Pointing out that they plan to operate the station with nuclear energy, Vu said, “We are developing a new system to meet the long-term and high energy needs of the lunar station.”
Vu, a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, refrained from giving technical details about the new system. However, from previous information, it is estimated that the system will be a nuclear reactor capable of generating one megawatt of electricity.
Pointing out that China is currently conducting exploration activities on Mars, Vu also stated that they plan to carry out exploration activities for Jupiter, Uranus and the Asteroid Belt and send a deep space observation satellite to the edge of the Solar System.
Nuclear energy is expected to be preferred in the lunar project as it provides a long-term and reliable energy source that does not depend on environmental conditions and sunlight.
