China's slower, step-by-step crewed Moon plan is safer than NASA's commercial-lander approach, analyst says

Summary

China's full dress rehearsal for its crewed Moon landing would be tougher on schedule but safer than NASA's cheaper bet on commercial landers, a US space policy analyst said, after the two powers updated their lunar plans within a week of each other. Wang Xiang, deputy chief designer of China's crewed space programme, said in Beijing on October 31 that before sending any astronauts, China would dock the Lanyue lander and Mengzhou spacecraft in lunar orbit, with Lanyue then touching down and lifting off.

Timeline

1. South China Morning Post

   8 Nov 2026, 15:00 UTCSource ↗

   Reports that a US space policy analyst said China's full dress rehearsal for its crewed Moon landing would be tougher on schedule but safer than NASA's cheaper bet on commercial landers, and that Wang Xiang detailed the docking of the Lanyue lander and Mengzhou spacecraft in lunar orbit before any astronauts are sent.