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China merges lunar programmes as race to moon with US heats up after latest SpaceX launch

As the race to send humans back to the moon heats up, China has been fine-tuning its plans.
On Saturday – the day after the US…

By Samantha Johnson / May 24, 2026

As the race to send humans back to the moon heats up, China has been fine-tuning its plans.

On Saturday – the day after the US company SpaceX successfully launched its largest and most powerful Starship – the China Manned Space Agency unveiled further details about its plans to integrate its crewed and uncrewed lunar landing programmes into a single mission.
The purpose was “to fully leverage the technical foundations and practical experience accumulated over decades through crewed space programmes and the Chang’e lunar exploration missions”, agency spokesman Zhang Jingbo told a press conference at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre.

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Zhou Yaqiang, a senior engineer at the China Manned Space Agency, told reporters that the process of “combining experiences and expertise” from the various missions was “progressing smoothly”.

When asked about the US-China moon race, Zhou reiterated the official Chinese position, saying that the country was committed to the peaceful use of space.

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“We carry out the project of crewed lunar exploration under the established plan. We are not competing with other countries in space. Our crewed lunar programme is also not subject to interference from any factors,” he said.

“When Chinese astronauts land on the moon in the future, this will be a great feat for all of humanity. It will help increase our understanding of space.”

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