China's 1st moon astronauts could land in Rimae Bode, a 'geological museum' on the lunar near side

Two astronauts in white spacesuits stand on either side of a red flag, standing in the center on the moon's surface. On the left, a moon lander with two circular solar panels. On the right, a moon rover.

A diverse volcanic region on the moon's near side could become the landing site for China's first crewed lunar mission, according to a new study.China aims to land its first astronauts on the moon before the end of the decade. Over the last year, the nation has been testing hardware for this ambitious endeavor, including lunar landing and launch simulations and crew spacecraft abort and rocket tests. Now, a team of scientists has conducted a detailed assessment of a priority candidate landing area, providing fresh insights into the planning for the historic mission — and its potential scientific payoff.Jun Huang, a professor at the China University of Geosciences in Wuhan, and colleagues used multiple sets of orbital images and data sets from a range of spacecraft to study the moon's Rimae Bode region, finding that the area offers an appealing combination of scientific value and safe landing conditions for a future crewed mission. The paper was published in the journal Nature Astronomy on March 9.