The China Manned Space Agency has announced a call for proposals for scientific and technical payloads to be carried on the Lanyue lander. This unmanned mission is scheduled to take place before the country's first crewed lunar landing, which is targeted for completion by 2030.
Interested organizations, including research institutes, educational institutions, and enterprises, can submit applications until March 1, 2027. The program aims to utilize available resources on the lander to foster space exploration and test new technologies. Selected projects will be prioritized based on their relevance to lunar exploration goals.
The technical constraints for the payloads are strict: the total mass must not exceed 50 kg, and power consumption is generally limited to 100 W. While the launch itself is provided free of charge, the participating organizations are responsible for all development, testing, and management costs associated with their specific payloads.
China's broader lunar exploration roadmap includes a series of missions from 2028 to 2030. During this period, the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site is scheduled to host three unmanned lunar verification missions followed by one crewed lunar landing mission, marking a significant expansion of the national space program beyond low Earth orbit.
