China’s Manned Space Engineering Network says the country’s first crewed lunar lander last week completed a comprehensive landing and takeoff verification test, bringing it closer to landing on Luna - and leaving it again afterwards.

The space agency last week announced the Lanyue lunar lander successfully completed lengthy and technically difficult tests that simulated landing on an extraterrestrial body and then taking off again.

“The landing and takeoff integrated verification test systematically verified the compatibility of the lunar landing and takeoff system scheme, control scheme, lunar touchdown and shutdown scheme, and the interface compatibility between the GNC [Guidance, Navigation, and Control] (GNC) system and propulsion subsystems,” states the agency’s announcement. “The s

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