China plans to land astronauts on the moon before 2030, in what would be another advance in what's increasingly seen as a new space race pitting the Asian autocracy against the United States and its democratic allies.
NASA aims to put astronauts back on the lunar surface by the end of 2025. The deputy director of China's space agency confirmed the goal at a news conference Monday but gave no specific date.
The agency also introduced three astronauts who will head to the country's space station in a launch scheduled Tuesday.
They'll replace a crew that's been on the orbiting station for six months.