China has unveiled its plan to land astronauts on the Moon before 2030, outlining a mission involving two Long March 10 rocket launches.

Axar.az reports, citing Chinese media, that China's first crewed lunar mission will involve sending the Lanyue lunar lander and Mengzhou crew spacecraft into space separately before they dock in lunar orbit.

The spacecraft will carry three astronauts to lunar orbit, where two will transfer to the lander and descend to the Moon's surface. After completing their mission, they will return to lunar orbit, dock with the spacecraft and travel back to Earth with the third crew member.

Wang Xiang, deputy chief designer of China's crewed space programme, said the approach separates the functions of the spacecraft and lander, relying on existing capabilities to improve mission reliability.

Several major tests involving the spacecraft, lander and Long March rocket series have already been completed.

The announcement comes amid growing competition between China and the United States over lunar exploration. Washington aims to return astronauts to the Moon by 2028 under its Artemis programme.