--- title: "China Announces Plans for Moon Base" description: "China announced Monday that the country's space program plans to launch three more lunar missions, with the eventual goal of an international Moon base." date: "2019-01-15" modified: "2019-01-15" authors: - name: "Jon Christian" job_title: "Executive Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jonc" url: "https://futurism.com/moon-base-china-plans" categories: - "Astronomy" - "Moon" - "Space" tags: - "chang'e 4" - "china" - "lunar base" - "moon" --- # China Announces Plans for Moon Base ![China announced Monday that the country's space program plans to launch three more lunar missions, with the eventual goal of an international Moon base.]() *\Image: Notanastrologer\* ## Moon Base A Chinese rover is [currently exploring the far side of the Moon](), and an official announced on Monday that the country's space program plans to launch three more lunar missions **—** with the goal of laying the groundwork for an international Moon base. "We hope that \[the last of the planned missions\] Chang'e-8 will help test some technologies, and do some exploring for the building of a joint lunar base shared by multiple countries," said the deputy head of China's space program, Wu Yanhua, [during a press conference](). ## Road Map The announcement doesn't come as a surprise to experts. International space expert Namrata Goswami [predicted last month]() that China's latest lander was part of a roadmap to a research base on the Moon. "Significantly, China’s ambitions for the moon and outer space have only been growing, to include ambitions of a Chinese research base on the moon, as well as developing bioregenerative support systems to ensure that humans can settle and survive in lunar conditions," Goswami wrote in *The Diplomat*. ## Next Steps Chinese officials are riding high on the success of Chang'e**-**4, the lander that touched down weeks ago. Chang'e**-**4 has already [released a rover]() and succeeded for the first time in human history in [germinating seeds on another world](). The timeline to China's Moon base isn't clear, but the next steps are coming into focus. First its space program will send a lander called Chang'e**-**5 to the Moon later this year, which will collect samples and return to Earth. The results from Chang'e**-**5 and three follow**-**up missions, Wu said, will help solidify plans for a research base. Wu specifically highlighted whether it'll be possible to use lunar soil to 3D print habitable structures. **READ MORE:** [China Unveils Follow-Up Lunar Exploration Missions]() \[*Xinhua*\] ***More on China’s Chang’e-4 lander: [See China’s Lunar Rover Set Off Across the Far Side of the Moon]()*** ## Author I'm responsible for editing, assigning, and scouting at Futurism, as well as occasionally writing for the site. That work involves keeping an eye on a wide range of narratives and issues, but over the past few years I've become increasingly interested in how AI is shaping the future of media, the web, and information itself. My day-to-day often involves collaborating on reporting and commentary projects bylined by my colleagues, but I try to find time to do my own reporting as well; stories I've broken for Futurism have been cited by publications including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, Wired, Ars Technica, New York Magazine, the Columbia Journalism Review, Bloomberg, and more. I grew up in Southern Vermont and attended Vanderbilt University. Prior to Futurism, I contributed to outlets including the Boston Globe, Vice, Wired, Slate, the Atlantic, the Outline, Ars Technica and more, and did stints in farming and food service. I currently live in Brooklyn, New York, and in my free time I enjoy pinball, word games, cycling, running, and music production. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()