August 13, 2026 (InvestinChina.asia) – Researchers from the China Academy of Space Technology have published a new concept for deploying quadruped robot dogs on the Moon, proposing that the machines replace astronauts in the heavy and hazardous work of mining resources and assembling habitats at the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) targeted for completion by 2035.
The proposal, detailed in the journal Chinese Space Science and Technology and reported by the South China Morning Post, addresses the Moon’s punishing environment — one-sixth of Earth’s gravity, intense cosmic radiation, temperature swings exceeding 300°C, and pervasive fine lunar dust — conditions that make it difficult for astronauts to sustain long-term operations alone.
“China is extending the frontier of human space flight from Earth orbit to the moon,” the authors wrote, framing future lunar exploration around “astronaut-led decision-making and autonomous robots carrying out the work.”
Three astronauts, two robot dogs
The study lays out a standard extravehicular configuration of three astronauts paired with two quadruped robots. One astronaut remotely guides the robot dogs on advance reconnaissance to identify hazardous areas; a second collects rock samples and conducts fine scientific work on the lunar surface; and a third remains inside a pressurized rover to coordinate all equipment and manage data.
Quadruped robots hold clear advantages over traditional wheeled rovers. Lunar terrain — craters, boulder fields, loose regolith and lava tubes — routinely traps wheeled vehicles, whereas legged platforms can traverse obstacles that wheels cannot.
Four classes of duty
The robot dogs are assigned four main categories of tasks:
Resource extraction — searching for and mining lunar water ice, and refining mineral raw materials on-site. Water ice concentrated in permanently shadowed craters near the lunar south pole could support life-support systems directly, or be split into hydrogen and oxygen for propulsion and power generation.
Base construction — using lunar soil to produce building materials, modifying natural lava tube structures, and assembling shelters for astronauts. In-situ resource utilization would significantly reduce dependence on Earth-launched cargo, where every kilogram adds substantial cost.
Routine operations — inspecting the station’s exterior, monitoring air quality and temperature, cleaning the cabin, tending to cultivated plants, and even preparing simple meals.
Companionship — conversing with astronauts to alleviate the psychological strain of long-term isolation from Earth.
A four-layer autonomous architecture
The collaborative system adopts a four-layer architecture spanning environmental perception, decision-making, planning and execution, supporting four levels of control modes. The robots operate autonomously under normal conditions and call for human intervention only in exceptional situations.
Researchers from Peking University have already tested two prototype quadrupeds inside a lava-tube cave in northeastern China, selected specifically for its resemblance to lunar underground structures.
Timeline and remaining hurdles
According to the ILRS roadmap, a basic version of the research station is expected to be completed by 2035, with a larger complex — potentially including a lunar-orbiting station — to follow by 2045. China aims to land astronauts on the Moon before 2030, and is expected to launch the Chang’e-7 uncrewed mission later this month to search for water ice at the lunar south pole.
The researchers themselves acknowledge that the concept remains in the theoretical planning stage. Prototypes must still undergo extensive simulation testing for radiation, extreme temperatures and other lunar conditions, and significant technical hurdles remain before actual deployment.
Key challenges include the absence of lunar training data for artificial intelligence, the lack of GPS and pre-existing communications infrastructure, and the need to build entirely new navigation and relay systems — anchored by the already-launched Queqiao-2 relay satellite and its Tiandu pathfinders — before humans and robots can work side by side on the lunar surface.