Three missions have been formally approved that will see China at the south pole of the moon, the first of which will be launched around 2024.
China’s missions to the moon’s south pole have been dubbed Chang’e 6, Chang’e 7 And Chang’e 8 they will be launched over the years from 2024 onwards, each with different objectives and a series of spacecraft. The trio forms the so-called fourth phase for the Chinese lunar exploration program, which recently landed on the moon last December with a champion return mission dubbed Chang’e 5.
Wu Yanhua, deputy head of the China National Space Administration (CNSA), said in a recent interview with China Central Television (CCTV) that the three missions have been approved.
The missions that will see China at the south pole of the moon
Chang’e 7 will be the first mission to be launched to bring China to the moon’s south pole and Wu has not provided a timeline, but previous reports indicate a hoped-for launch around 2024, with a mission to include an orbiter, relay satellite, lander, rover and a “mini flying aircraft ”designed to search for evidence of ice at the lunar south pole.
The various components of the spacecraft will carry a range of scientific instruments including cameras, a radar instrument, an infrared spectrum mineral sensor, a thermometer, a seismograph and a water molecule analyzer; the mission will address objectives including remote sensing, identifying assets and conducting a comprehensive study of the lunar environment.
China’s largest rocket, the Long March 5, will be needed to launch the 18,000-pound (8,200-kilogram) mission.
Later it will come Chang’e 6, the second mission that will take China to the south pole of the moon; this was originally intended as a backup for Chang’e 5’s sample return mission. The new mission will seek to build on its predecessor’s success by collecting the first rock samples from the moon’s south pole and delivering them to Earth.
China said the mission will also carry scientific cargoes under development to France and Italy, and potentially Russia and Sweden as well.
Chang’e 8 will be the last mission to take China to the moon’s south pole, and will be launched at the end of this decade and will represent a step towards the creation of a joint International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) with Russia and potentially other partners. The mission is expected to test the technology for using local resources and manufacturing with 3D printing, according to previous Chinese press statements.
“The main purpose of these three missions is for China to build the base model of a lunar research station in collaboration with Russia, with China in the lead.
The construction of the station can lay a solid foundation for us to better explore the lunar environment and resources, including how to use and develop lunar resources peacefully. “
Wu told CCTV.
The ILRS plan includes the development of a robotic base that can later be expanded to allow astronauts to make long-term stays on the lunar surface in the 2030s.
China’s South Pole Moon Project is separate from the US-led Artemis program that seeks to get astronauts back to the moon in the coming years. Artemis 1, an unmanned mission around the moon, is currently aiming for a launch in the spring of 2022.
China is currently using the Chang’e 4 lander and the Yutu 2 rover on the opposite side of the moon; the pair made their first-ever landing on the far side of the moon in 2019. Yutu 2 is currently investigating rocks on the horizon dubbed a “mystery hut” by a Chinese space channel.
If you are attracted to science or technology, keep following us, so you don’t miss the latest news and news from all over the world!
#China #south #pole #moon #newly #approved #missions