(CNN) – – China took a step forward in its ambitious plan to land astronauts on the moon by 2030, unveiling a specially designed space suit worn by its crew in what is expected to be a historic mission in the country's space program.
The new red and white suit, China's Human Space Agency (CMSA) revealed over the weekend, is designed to withstand the moon's extreme temperatures, radiation and dust, while allowing astronauts physical flexibility to perform missions on the lunar surface. According to state media.
Well-known Chinese astronauts Joy Zhigang and Wang are featured in the video shared by state broadcaster CCTV, which says the lunar lander suit has a built-in long- and short-range camera, an operations console and a reflective helmet visor. Yapping explains how astronauts wearing suits can bend down and climb ladders.
The new technology has attracted international attention.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk shared the post on Platform CCTV video and with its own title.
“Meanwhile, in America, the [Administración Federal de Aviación (FAA)] National space program is suffocated by Kafkaesque red tape,” he wrote, apparently referring to the speed at which China has strengthened its space program compared to the United States.
CNN has reached out to the FAA for comment.
SpaceX's fortunes — and Musk's personal wealth — have been boosted by huge government contracts in recent years as NASA seeks to beat out the private sector in space exploration and logistics.
China's unveiling of a spacesuit that will land on the moon has made a significant effort to position the country as a major player in space, with countries including the United States increasingly looking to its scientific benefits and national security.
In recent years, China's National Space Administration has undertaken increasingly complex robotic lunar missions, including bringing back lunar samples from the far side of the moon earlier this year for the first time in history. The country aims to become the second country to send astronauts to the moon and says its first manned mission will take place “in 2030”.
The United States, which has not sent astronauts to the moon since 1972, plans to send a crew this decade, although the initial schedule for its Artemis III mission has been delayed. That mission won't begin until at least September 2026, NASA said earlier this year. The company unveiled a prototype of its Artemis III space suit AxEMU in 2023.
China's new spacesuit is a major step in the country's manned mission schedule, with experts citing the need for a suit specifically designed for lunar conditions, comparable to the suits used by astronauts on spacewalks at China's Tiangong orbital space station.
Thanks to its thin outer sphere, the Moon is an unforgiving place, exposed to both the sun's rays and the cold of space. For example, temperatures near the Moon's equator can reach 121 degrees Celsius during the day and then drop to -133 degrees Celsius at night, according to NASA.
“Unlike low-orbit missions, astronauts will find themselves in the harsh natural lunar environment during lunar extraterrestrial operations. “Complex environmental factors such as high vacuum and low gravity, lunar dust and lunar soil, complex topography, high and low temperatures, and strong radiation are significant in work and safety. will have an impact,” he said, the chief designer of astronaut systems at the China Aerospace Research and Training Center, told state broadcaster CCTV.
Others praised the suit's aesthetics: the red stripes on its upper extremities were inspired by the ribbons of “flying apsuras” or deities that appear in the ancient art of the western Chinese city of Dunhuang, which state media described as resembling “rocket-launching flames.”
Another designer, Wang Chunhui, told state media that the suit's proportions would make the astronauts “look more energetic and majestic” and “make the Chinese look strong and beautiful when we step on the moon.”
Earlier this year, Chinese officials announced the name of the spacecraft for the manned lunar mission: the spacecraft was named Mengzhou, or Dream Ship, and the lander Lanyu, or Embracing the Moon.
The mission is designed as part of China's lunar ambitions, which include plans to establish an international lunar research station at the moon's south pole by 2040.
