Zhou Jianping, chief designer of China’s manned space program, said so in an interview with local media, Ukrinform’s own reporter reported.

According to him, China is currently using a three-man spacecraft to transport taikonauts to the space station. The new manned ship will be able to carry more cargo and more crew, which will significantly expand the scope of manned space flights and open up new uses, especially in space tourism.

In addition, Zhou noted that Chinese experts have developed a more powerful, reusable launch vehicle that will have greater launch thrust and space for payloads, making it more cost-effective than previous generations.

“We know these projects will take a lot of time, but I believe we can have all the necessary technical solutions within a few years,” said the lead designer.

Another mission space agency engineers are working on is a space telescope planned to be launched into space in the near future and installed on the Chinese orbital station.

According to Zhou, the telescope is the most important scientific object for the space station project and will be used to search for life outside the solar system, among other things.

The Chinese expert also gave information about the active development of the lunar program and expressed his confidence in its success and that by 2030, China will carry out a manned flight to the moon and land astronauts on its surface.

Earlier, the Chinese Space Agency reported that in 2023 it is planned to carry out more than 60 space launches and a number of projects, including the fourth phase of the lunar exploration program and the search for new planets. So throughout the year, China will launch into space every week.

As reported by Ukrinform, China has successfully launched its newest Lijian-1 Y2 solid fuel carrier rocket into space for the second time, launching 26 experimental satellites into planned orbits around Earth.