An engineer from China's lunar exploration project has introduced the crucial designs of the country's manned lunar lander which will take astronauts to the surface of the moon. In May, the China Manned Space Agency (CMS) announced its goal of achieving China's inaugural human landing on the moon by 2030, as the nation's space exploration initiative gains momentum. CMS outlined the key characteristics of the design at the ninth China (International) Commercial Aerospace Forum.

The lunar lander, which weighs about 26 tonnes, is composed of a lunar module and a propulsion module, and can carry two astronauts to the lunar surface. The design team has been mindful of the need to produce a lightweight design in order to improve the structural efficiency of the lander. The team has equipped the lander with a power redundancy function, which can act as a fail-safe in the event the crew encounters any unexpected challenges.