China’s ambitious plan to set up living spaces on the moon in the next two decades will see Chinese volunteers take part in a simulated space cabin for up to 200 days. Chinese President Xi Jinping called for the country to develop into a global power in space exploration, with plans to send a probe to the dark side of the moon and put astronauts there by 2036. Beijing is testing the ability of astronauts to stay on the moon for prolonged periods of time. China’s official Xinhua news agency says volunteers will live in a “simulated space cabin” for between 60-200 days.
“While it remains unclear exactly how long China’s first lunar explorers will spend on the surface, the country is already planning for longer stays,” Xinhua said.Two groups of four volunteers will live in Yuegong-1 to test how a life-support system works in a moon-like environment.
The system, called the Bioregenerative Life Support System (BLSS), allows water and food to be recycled.
“The latest test is vital to the future of China’s moon and Mars missions and must be relied upon to guarantee the safety and health of our astronauts,” Liu Zhiheng of the Chinese Academy of Sciences said.
Yuegong-1 has a central living space the size of a “very small urban apartment” and two “greenhouses” for plants.
A similar 105-day trial was carried out successfully in 2014.