China has announced its plan to conduct its first manned mission to the moon around 2030. After their lunar landing, two Chinese astronauts will set foot on the moon's surface and then operate a four-wheel, open-top rover for three days before lifting off to return to Earth, according to the mission plan published by the agency.

Major space institutes and enterprises have been involved in the research and development of hardware to be used in the ambitious project.

Zhang Wanxin, a researcher at the Astronaut Center of China in Beijing, said on Wednesday that the moon-landing spacesuits will be compact and light and will be capable of enduring the harsh environment on lunar surface.

Zhang Chongfeng, an engineer with China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp tasked with designing the crewed lunar rover, said a technology demonstrator has been put to field tests and engineers have begun working on specific designs of the rover.

In addition to developing technologies and constructing spacecraft and infrastructure, the Chinese space community has also been striving to spark and maintain attention and enthusiasm from the public by publicizing project developments such as the naming of key components.

In February last year, the manned space agency announced the names of the lander that will carry Chinese astronauts to the moon's surface and of a new crew spaceship that will ferry astronauts.

The lander is named Lanyue, or "Embracing the Moon", which first appeared in a poem written by the late Chairman Mao Zedong in 1965. The name symbolizes the Chinese people's aspirations and confidence in their explorations of the universe and expeditions to the moon.

The new spaceship's name is Mengzhou, or "Dream Vessel", which represents its responsibility of fulfilling the Chinese nation's dream of landing on the moon to start a new space adventure, according to the agency.

zhaolei@chinadaily.com.cn