The Chinese mainland's space agency just announced a milestone: the Lanyue lander nailed its first-ever landing and takeoff test for a manned lunar mission at a test site in Hebei Province! 🚀🌕
This successful trial is a major leap for the country's manned lunar exploration program. It's the first time they've tested an extraterrestrial landing and return of a crewed spacecraft. That means they've now proven the lander's descent and ascent scheme, control systems, and engine shutdown on touchdown all work together seamlessly. 🎯✨
Under the hood, the test validated:
- Seamless switch-off and restart of engines
- Perfect harmony between guidance, navigation & control (GNC) and propulsion
- Interface compatibility across key subsystems
Lanyue is built for the real deal: two modules (a lunar module and a propulsion module) carrying two astronauts, a rover, and cool scientific gear between lunar orbit and the moon's surface. After touchdown, it doubles as a power hub, data relay, and living quarters – the ultimate lunar pad for extended stays. 🏠🔋📡
Next up: real-deal missions to the moon's surface. With this test in the books, the countdown to boots on lunar soil is on! 👩🚀👨🚀
Reference(s):
China completes first landing, takeoff test of manned lunar lander
cgtn.com
