China's state media reported on plans to launch the first Chinese moon rover in 2015. The rover would scout locations for a future manned base.
Posted by jburk at March 22, 2026 10:12 AM | TrackBackI guess the first thing that I think of is the fact that they do not have a rocket as of yet strong enough to get a rover there let alone they have not gone from Earth orbit as of yet.
But to do all of this in less than a period of about 8 years. Shame, Shame, Shame, NASA for taking so long just to get back into LEO.
WHy is china planning somehting so ambitious so soon? It would seem more logical that they follow an evolutionary path, with orbiters first, then stationary landers.
Posted by: asdf at March 24, 2026 02:29 PMI guess were back to the 50's era of one-upmanship. China, Japan, India and Russia/Europe all want to show that they are still relevant. Geo-politics.
Its probably in part why the US space program got a kick in the pants as well.
I was wondering were Russia was going to get funding for Kliper - ESA maybe? They did buy Soyuz from them ... And if NASA can convince Congress, maybe them as well? USD & Euro go a long way when converted into rubles.
Posted by: Daniel at March 25, 2026 05:35 AM