From lunar water hunts to Mars sample returns, China's space program is embarking on groundbreaking missions across the solar system, aiming for the moon, Mars and beyond.

China’s moon programme is part of a growing rivalry with the US – still the leader in space exploration – and others, including Japan and India. The US is planning to land astronauts on the moon for the first time in more than 50 years, though Nasa pushed the target date back to 2026 earlier this year.

China has made great strides in exploring space in recent years, rocketing astronauts to its own space station and bringing back rocks from the moon

China has unveiled an ambitious national-level space exploration plan, covering the period from now to 2050. The strategy was jointly developed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the China National Space Administration (CNSA),

China announced plans to launch a manned lunar mission, construct a lunar space station and explore habitable planets and extra-terrestrial life to expand its space programme in the next few decades.

Long-term research program includes building Moon bases, finding habitable exoplanets, and probing 'space-time ripples' China yesterday revealed its space exploration plans between now and the year 2050,