Beijing: China intends to land astronauts on the moon by 2030, which would be another step forward in what is increasingly being viewed as a new space race.

The United States hopes to return astronauts to the lunar surface by the end of 2025.
Lin Xiqiang, Deputy Director of the Chinese Manned Space Agency, confirmed China's goal at a news conference on Monday but provided no specific date.

Lin also stated that China intends to add an additional module to its orbiting crewed space station. A new three-person crew will arrive at the Tiangong station on Tuesday aboard the Shenzhou 16 craft, briefly overlapping with the three astronauts already on board.

Also Read: The United Kingdom has launched an advertising campaign to deter Albanian migrants

For the first time, the new crew includes a civilian. Previous crew members were all members of the People's Liberation Army, the country's ruling Communist Party's military wing.

Gui Haichao, a professor at Beijing's top aerospace research institute, will serve as the payload expert alongside mission commander Jing Haipeng and spacecraft engineer Zhu Yangzhu.

Also Read:  Pakistani pilgrims praise Hajj preparations

China completed the Tiangong space station's third module, centred on the Tianhe living and command module, in November.
China became the third country after the former Soviet Union and the United States to launch a manned space mission in 2003.

China built its own station after being denied access to the International Space Station, owing to US concerns about the Chinese space programmes' close ties to the PLA.

China and the United States, the world's two largest economies and rivals for diplomatic and military influence, are increasingly seen as competing in space. The astronauts sent to the moon by NASA by the end of 2025 will head for the south pole, where permanently shadowed craters are thought to be densely packed with frozen water.

Also Read:  South Korean man would suffer up to ten years in prison for opening the plane door

Both countries are considering plans for permanent crewed bases on the moon, raising concerns about rights and interests on the lunar surface. US law severely limits cooperation between the two countries' space programmes, and while China has stated that it welcomes foreign collaborations, these have thus far been limited to scientific research.

In addition to their lunar programmes, the United States and China have landed rovers on Mars, and Beijing plans to follow the United States in landing an asteroid.