China to land astronauts on moon before 2030, officials say

China space officials said Monday that the program plans to place astronauts on the moon before 2030, as well as expand its space station.

The deputy director of the Chinese Manned Space Agency confirmed that objectives at a press conference at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, but did not provide a timeline. 

Deputy Director Lin Xiqiang told reporters that the country is first preparing for a "short stay on the lunar surface and human-robotic joint exploration."

"We have a complete near-Earth human space station and human round-trip transportation system," he said. 

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Lin told the media that a schedule of two ...