China unveils the suitcase with which its astronauts will set foot on the Moon before 2030

1. No official name yet
2. Five years at full speed

The Beijing authorities have made the official celebrations organized around October 1, a public holiday commemorating the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, coincide with the world-wide presentation of the spacesuit with which its astronauts will set foot. on the Moon before 2030.

President Xi Jinping wanted to make the international community understand that his manned lunar program is very serious. That its ambition is that on October 1, 2029, the 80th anniversary of the moment when Mao Zedong breathed life into communist China, two Chinese astronauts will have already landed on the Moon and walked on the fine dust which covers the natural satellite of the Earth. .

China is undisputed the second largest space power in the world, far exceeding the capabilities of Russia – heir to the achievements of the Soviet Union – and in direct competition with the United States in all areas of space science and technology, including human return to the Moon.

The spacesuit intended to protect China's first astronauts during their missions on the lunar soil and outside spacecraft in lunar orbit is now a reality. He was introduced to the company by one of the top leaders of the China Human Spaceflight Agency, Air General Yang Liwei, 59, the Chinese who flew into space in October 2013 and became the first astronaut from the great Asian nation.

The new spacesuit is the result of four years of research and development, according to Chinese officials. It is designed and made from undisclosed fabrics and materials that protect astronauts from sticky lunar dust, the effects of being in microgravity, scorching heat – which can reach 120 degrees Celsius at the equator – and extreme cold – up to -130 degrees Celsius -. while performing activities in Selene's harsh environment.

No official name yet

The new spacesuit consists of a central body with limbs that are said to be strong and secure, yet flexible to allow walking, running, sitting, crouching, kneeling, climbing and descending. Chinese engineers completed the outfit with special gloves to allow them to drive vehicles, grip objects, manipulate tools, scientific instruments and press electronic devices that they will have attached to their own suits.

The space suit is completed by a helmet with a panoramic anti-glare visor, equipped with two cameras allowing you to visualize what each astronaut has in front of them. The feet will be shod in special boots, of which very little has been described. The costume has not yet been given a name, as a public competition was held inviting the Chinese public to submit suggestions and name it.

Pilot Colonel Wang Yaping, 44 – the country's second female astronaut, with 197 days in space and 6 hours in the cosmos – and her partner, General Zhai Zhigang – 57, fighter pilot with 185 days in orbit and 12 hours outside – have It was the catwalk models who donned the suit to demonstrate the movement capabilities of the new spacesuit.

To date, the 17 Chinese astronauts who have traveled outside the Tiangong space station for assembly or repair activities have all worn extra-vehicular diving suits named Feitian, which means flying in English.

Weighing 120 kilos, Feitian is the Chinese version of the Russian Orlan suits, which, with successive improvements, have been used by the Soviets since 1977 and are now used, in the Orlan MKS version, by cosmonauts of the Russian Space Agency. It weighs around 110 kilos on the ground and has a battery life of over 7 hours.

Five years at full speed

Now that we know about the spacesuit, do we know anything about China's first foray to the Moon? What little is clear from Chinese space authorities is that each mission will consist of two separate launches of the Longue March 10 rocket, which has yet to make its first unmanned flight, scheduled for an unannounced date in 2027.

Once the new launcher is qualified and crewed test flights are completed, CNSA, China's equivalent of NASA, expects the first moon landing mission to carry three astronauts in the new Mengzhou space capsule. A second rocket will carry the Lanyue, or moon-kissing, surface module, as well as a small rover, to extend the astronauts' reach. Mengzhou and Lanyue will dock near the Moon and then gently descend toward the Moon's surface.

The two astronauts who descend will stay on the Moon for between two and six hours to collect samples, perform tests and take a short walk or drive. Once their task is accomplished, they will take off in the Lanyue lunar module bound for the Mengzhou spacecraft to join their companion waiting for them in lunar orbit. If all goes well, all three crew members will be back on Earth.

Although China does not yet have the super-heavy Long March 10 launcher ready to reach Selene, NASA has already sounded the alarm, given the speed with which Beijing's manned lunar program is progressing. NASA's Artemis II mission, the first manned mission of the new SLS launcher, is planned after September 2025. But its five designated astronauts, including a Canadian, will not land on the Moon, but will fly over it and return to Earth.

The honor goes to the passengers of the as-yet-unnamed Artemis III, which, depending on the fate of the previous flight, is currently scheduled for September 2026, three years before the Chinese flight.. However, the complexity of Artemis II and III, the pace of work, the data collected and experience suggest that there is a good chance that China and the United States will embark on a final race, a sprint for to be the first in the 21st century to land humans on the Moon.