Space digest — Nov 3, 2026
Top line: China has laid out how it would land taikonauts on the Moon by 2030 — two launches meeting in lunar orbit, with the Mengzhou crew spacecraft and Lanyue lander in development alongside the Long March-10 rocket. On Starbase, Booster 22 is being readied in Mega Bay 1 while Pad 2 hardware gets attention.
Brief
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China's crewed Moon architecture: China is sharing more detail on how it plans to land taikonauts on the Moon by 2030, built around a "two launches, lunar orbit rendezvous" profile, with development of the Long March-10 rocket, the Mengzhou crew spacecraft, and the Lanyue lunar lander advancing (Space Policy Online). No independent report on development status yet — a broader write-up later would firm it up.
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Starbase status: NSF relayed Erik Fraser's Starbase update — it looks quiet, but Booster 22 is being readied in Mega Bay 1 and the quick-disconnect hardware on Pad 2 is being worked on (NASASpaceflight on X).