The Tiangong space station program will provide strong support for realizing China's goal of sending astronauts to the moon by 2030, according to a spokesman for the China Manned Space Agency.

Zhang Jingbo, who is also a senior engineer at the agency, said at a news conference on Saturday at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center that Tiangong, as a national-level space laboratory, can support manned lunar exploration in three major aspects.

"First, our crewed spaceflight missions have nurtured a team of seasoned astronauts with extensive experience. This forms a solid talent reserve for crew selection in follow-up manned lunar missions. Second, our space station has been operating steadily in orbit for nearly four years and has served as a platform for astronauts to verify key technologies for manned lunar landings," he said.

For example, Zhang said, the recently launched Tianzhou 10 cargo vessel carried a key test device to the Tiangong to verify whether the technical indicators for lunar landing-related spacecraft are accurate and reasonable.

Third, the Long March 10 rocket family and the Mengzhou spacecraft have been designed to serve both near-Earth transportation tasks for the Chinese space station and the nation's future manned lunar exploration missions, Zhang said.

"In the coming two years, multiple flights involving near-Earth versions of the rocket and spacecraft will be conducted, and the flight data will be used to optimize the technical maturity and operational reliability of the lunar mission versions," he said.

Moreover, the space station's long-term operation can serve as an in-orbit service platform for future lunar exploration and resource development, Zhang added.

In another development, the spokesman said the Chang'e 7 robotic lunar mission is progressing smoothly, with pre-launch preparations underway at the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan province.

"All work is progressing steadily as scheduled. The probe is set to be launched at an appropriate time in the second half of this year," he said, adding that the Chang'e 7 mission will conduct surveys of the environment and resources at the lunar south pole.

Zhang also said that, to leverage the technical expertise and hands-on experience accumulated over decades through China's manned spaceflight missions and the Chang'e robotic lunar program, space authorities have begun integrating the crewed lunar landing program with ongoing unmanned lunar expeditions.

zhaolei@chinadaily.com.cn