The crewed landing plan noted by Lin is for two astronauts to conduct a six-hour stay on the lunar surface, with another crew member remaining aboard a service module in lunar orbit.The short term stay however is linked to a longer term project. The International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) is a Chinese-led initiative which aims to construct a permanent, initially robotic moon base in the 2030s. China is currently attracting members to join an organization established to coordinate the effort, which amounts to a parallel development to the U.S.-led Artemis Program and Artemis Accords.China’s government has yet to openly and officially approve the crewed landing project, likely because the timeline lies beyond the scope of the current Five-year Plan (2021-2025). However a space white paper published in January 2022 stated that China will “continue studies and research on the plan for a human lunar landing… and research key technologies to lay a foundation for exploring and developing cislunar space.”
From the SpaceNews article:QuoteThe crewed landing plan noted by Lin is for two astronauts to conduct a six-hour stay on the lunar surface, with another crew member remaining aboard a service module in lunar orbit.The short term stay however is linked to a longer term project. The International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) is a Chinese-led initiative which aims to construct a permanent, initially robotic moon base in the 2030s. China is currently attracting members to join an organization established to coordinate the effort, which amounts to a parallel development to the U.S.-led Artemis Program and Artemis Accords.China’s government has yet to openly and officially approve the crewed landing project, likely because the timeline lies beyond the scope of the current Five-year Plan (2021-2025). However a space white paper published in January 2022 stated that China will “continue studies and research on the plan for a human lunar landing… and research key technologies to lay a foundation for exploring and developing cislunar space.”Press folks are getting hyped about a CMSA presentation and model, but the government has yet to endorse and fund the effort. It’s the usual western-news-sources-make-hay-out-of-China’s-space-industry-in-sales-mode in the absence of any investigation into (or ability to investigate) whether the sales plan is going anywhere with the CCP.China has had little to no success in attracting ILRS partners. This mission only offers six hours on the surface, is likely low margin/high-risk to boot, and is a costly detour from the long-term lunar architecture CMSA has talked about. And China is facing multiple financial pressures demographically, with Russia’s war, from US moves technologically, and from its own moves in the South China Sea. None of that means this mission won’t happen. But none of this helps convince the CCP to endorse and fund it, either.
The abbreviation of China National Space Administration of China is CNSA
If the government does not intend to initiate investment projects, they will not conduct any research or promotion related to the plan.
Therefore, today's Chinese aerospace industry has spent more than 20 years to establish a completely independent Space technology system other than the American Space technology system. Currently, the advanced technology part of this technology system only accounts for about 30% of the US technology system, while China plans to reach 80-90% of the US technology system by 2035.
According to China, the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) program has more than a dozen national space agencies coordinating communication and cooperation (about 28 national space agencies are listed globally).
All kinds of governments invest in all kinds of planning and research that never goes anywhere. China is no more exempt from bad ideas, poor management, limited resources, and Murphy’s Law than any other country.In this particular case, we have managers at CMSA talking up a manned lunar landing by 2030, but no endorsement of that goal or their plan above them. No CCP announcement. No incorporation in a five-year funding plan. No nothing outside CMSA. It’s like having NASA talk up Apollo during the 1960s with no Kennedy speeches or congressional budgets. Maybe the announcement and funding are coming, but until they do, we just don’t know.Government managers talk about plans before government decision makers endorse and fund them all the time. Just look at NASA. How many Mars Design Reference Mission’s (DRMs) has NASA published over the years? A half-dozen? And how many manned Mars missions has NASA undertaken? Zero. How many NASA blue-ribbon panels on human space exploration beyond LEO published reports in the decades between Apollo and the VSE? A half-dozen? How many manned missions beyond LEO did NASA undertake during that time? Zero.Government manager presentations, reports, and models mean squat without endorsement at the political level and funding. If you’re not discerning about that, you’ll waste your time following every breathless, blown-up press report about every little architecture study from overseas that went nowhere.
China has to do this or something like it within and outside its aerospace sector because the Western powers are restricting China’s access to the most advanced silicon chips, the tools used to design and build them, and other commanding heights technologies. It’s not some grand plan. It’s just the nature of international competition as we move into an era of deglobalization.
Source? ILRS is a CNSA project, not a CMSA project. It’s just a handful of robotic missions to the Moon, which, while interesting, is not the same thing as a manned lunar base or station. It’s not even clear that the robotic missions will actually operate together locally and/or in parallel as the term “station” applies. The only two cooperating members of ILRS are CNSA and Roscosmos, and if you’ve followed the planetary science program at Roscosmos over the years, it’s obvious Roscosmos will have little to nothing to contribute. CNSA and Roscosmos did meet on the sidelines of the IAC meeting Dubai in 9/21 with Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, Malaysia, Thailand, and UNOOSA. But nothing came of that meeting. It sounded like the other agencies weren’t terribly interested in the ILRS declaration proffered at that meeting, and relations, at least with the European countries, have largely been overtaken by events in Ukraine. I’m not even sure CNSA and Roscosmos have finalized their ILRS agreement, yet. As of 6/21, press reports said that it still wasn’t signed. Press reports in 2022 and 2023 on ILRS don’t seem to reference Russia/Roscosmos anymore.In the past, CNSA has worked with 20-odd international partners on its prior Chang’e lunar robotic missions, mainly instrument contributions and data-sharing arrangements. But those agreements were specific to those prior missions. They don’t apply to ILRS.
well, it is hard to let foreigners know cnsa is just publicize organ, it is very different with nasaand CMSA isnt official name now ,official name is CMSEOand that is very regret when you talk about Chinese space project,it is so easy to became politicalization
On 1st September 2023, Mr. CHEN Xiaodong, on behalf of CNSA, the Ambassador of Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Republic of South Africa, and Mr. Humbulani Mudau, the CEO of SANSA signed “The Memorandum of Understanding on International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) Cooperation Between China National Space Administration (CNSA) and South African National Space Agency (SANSA)”. The signed MoU marks South Africa’s formal entry into China’s ILRS program.Under the MoU, China and South Africa will cooperate extensively on demonstration, mission implementation, operation and application, education and training of the ILRS. In addition, under the cooperation framework of BRICS Remote Sensing Satellite Constellation, China’s and South Africa’s space agencies carried out cooperations on remote sensing data exchange and application, and satellite ground stations.On the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations establishment between China and South Africa, South Africa’s formal entry of ILRS Cooperation indicates that China-South Africa cooperation has been extended from near-earth space to the moon and deep space beyond. It plays a significant role in boosting technology advances and building a high-standard community with a shared future for China and South Africa.
Quote from: yuebai on 06/10/2023 09:10 amwell, it is hard to let foreigners know cnsa is just publicize organ, it is very different with nasaand CMSA isnt official name now ,official name is CMSEOand that is very regret when you talk about Chinese space project,it is so easy to became politicalizationI guess I'm not totally sure what you Mean Yuebai. Could you please explain it more?Thanks
The way of understanding NASA should not be used to understand CNSA, as CNSA often operates as a propaganda agency rather than a powerful institution. It is impolite and inaccurate to understand China's space agency in the same way as NASA. CMSA is also not an official name, as the official name is CMSEO.
China adds new moon base project partners, but struggles to attract national-level participationChina continues to add new members to its International Lunar Research Station initiative, but many of these are subnational, suggesting issues attracting partners.The latest development saw the Asociación de Astronomía de Colombia (ASASAC) sign a memorandum of understanding on cooperation on the ILRS with China’s Deep Space Exploration Laboratory (DSEL) earlier this month. DSEL announced the agreement March 27. Kyrgyzstan’s Arabaev Kyrgyz State University signed an MoU in early March. PT Universal Satelit Indonesia (UniSat) signed up in December. These are the latest in a line of subnational or non-governmental entities—such as firms, universities and astronomical associations—that have signed MoUs with DSEL. Others include the University of Sharjah of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Hawaii’s International Lunar Observatory Association (ILOA).“China seems to face more difficulties than expected in bringing partners on board its ILRS program. Including civilian associations and universities likely reflects a lack of better alternatives,” Marc Julienne, head of China research at the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI), told SpaceNews.Julienne further notes that China signed a cooperation agreement on ILRS with only one country: Egypt. It has signed Memorandums of Understanding with only two states, South Africa and Pakistan, while it signed lower-level “joint statements on cooperation” with Venezuela, Belarus and Azerbaijan.