China readies younger astronauts and Xinjiang lunar training for 2030
China is making big moves to land astronauts on the Moon by 2030. They're setting up a lunar analog training ground in Xinjiang, and are bringing in a new generation of astronauts:
Yang Liwei, China's first person in space, shared that the country's first generation of astronauts will be taken off active flight duties in October 2025 to let younger recruits step up for future lunar missions.
Six-day cave training, Long March-10 rockets
To get ready for the Moon's tough conditions, Chinese astronauts have been doing cave training, spending six days underground to practice isolation and resource management, just like they'll need on the Moon.
China is also building new gear: two Long March-10 rockets will launch a lunar spacecraft (Mengzhou) and lander (Lanyue), plus they're designing a Wangyu spacesuit to handle life on the lunar surface.