CHINA launched the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft aboard a Long March 2F rocket on May 24 from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, sending three astronauts to the Tiangong space station.
One member of the Shenzhou-23 crew is expected to remain in orbit for roughly a year, the country’s longest human spaceflight mission so far. The mission also will execute an autonomous rapid rendezvous and docking procedure with Tiangong’s core module, a step tied to China’s 2030 lunar program.
“By 2030, the Chinese people will definitely be able to set foot on the moon. That’s not a problem,” Wu Weiren, chief designer of China’s lunar exploration program, told state broadcaster CCTV.
China has assembled much of the infrastructure required for sustained human spaceflight. The Tiangong station is fully operational, while Long March-10 rockets, the Mengzhou spacecraft and the Lanyue lunar lander remain under development and testing.
China conducted 68 orbital launches in 2024, a national record. In 2025, that figure rose to more than 90 launches, with analysts expecting more than 140 launches in 2026.
China also completed the world’s first lunar sample return from the far side of the moon through the Chang’e-6 mission in 2024.
The rapid pace of development has intensified competition with the United States, whose Artemis program remains NASA’s centerpiece lunar initiative.
Artemis II launched on April 1, 2026, carrying astronauts Christina Koch, Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman and Jeremy Hansen around the moon and back — the first crewed mission beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo.
However, Artemis has faced repeated delays linked to technical and budget issues. Artemis III, the planned lunar landing mission, is now targeted for mid-2027.
“If you don’t have the money, the schedule is going to slip,” said Scott Pace, director of George Washington University’s Space Policy Institute and a former executive secretary of the National Space Council.
NASA’s enacted 2025 budget was approximately $24.9 billion. China’s official space budget is estimated at around $14 billion annually, though analysts believe actual spending may be significantly higher because of military and dual-use programs. The space agency relies heavily on contractors, private companies and congressional funding approvals, while China’s space program operates through centralized state planning.
Some analysts believe China could narrow the gap with the United States if American lunar schedules continue slipping. Pace also said the United States should remain actively involved in lunar exploration rather than allow China to dominate future space development.
China and Russia also plan to build a joint International Lunar Research Station near the lunar south pole by 2035, though Russia’s space program has struggled in recent years following repeated mission failures and declining launch activity.
The rivalry is increasingly shaping two competing space blocs: the US-backed Artemis Accords, signed by 39 nations, and the China-backed International Lunar Research Station initiative.
