In late June, China’s Chang’e-6 space probe made history by returning to Earth with the first samples from the lunar far side. The probe collected about 4 pounds of lunar soil, which scientists have already started studying. What’s next for China on the Moon?
Chang’e-7 and its flying probe. China’s next mission to the Moon will be Chang’e-7, scheduled for 2026. This mission will be the first to explore the permanently dark regions of the lunar south pole, the location of the satellite’s frozen water reservoirs. It’ll involve an orbiter, a lander, and a small flying probe.
The upcoming flying probe will be a groundbreaking addition to lunar exploration. Unlike traditional rovers, it can navigate from illuminated areas to the depths of dark craters. Equipped with molecular water analyzers, drilling tools, mechanical arms, and heaters for spectral analysis, it’ll overcome previous limitations.
Chang’e-8: a precursor to the development of a lunar base. Scheduled for 2028, the Chang’e-8 mission will demonstrate the technologies that China plans to utilize in its future International Lunar Research Station (ILRS).
The probe’s landing on the Moon will allow on-site testing of resource utilization technologies. This includes conducting a 3D printing experiment using materials extracted from lunar soil, among other methods required for the construction of the future scientific base.
First manned mission. The China Manned Space Agency plans to send two astronauts to the Moon by 2030. The mission will reportedly be simpler than NASA’s Artemis III. Nevertheless, it’ll still involve the launch of two spacecraft: an orbiter called Mengzhou and a lander called Lanyue.
Mengzhou will carry three Chinese astronauts from Earth to lunar orbit, while Lanyue will transport two astronauts to the Moon’s surface and then back to Mengzhou for the return journey to Earth.
The beginning of ILRS’s lunar base. The China National Space Administration and Russia’s State Corporation for Space Activities are founding members of the ILRS project, with China taking the lead.
The ILRS lunar base will be constructed in phases, starting with unmanned missions until 2035. These missions will establish research laboratories, technology demonstrators, and life support systems for future manned missions. Additionally, there will be missions to expand and maintain the lunar base modules as needed.
5,000 scientists on the Moon. The project’s second phase will be manned and aims to create a city of 5,000 scientists from around the world, according to Wu Weiren, chief designer of China’s Lunar Exploration Program.
The science base will be situated at the lunar south pole, near the ice deposits. It’ll include living quarters, laboratories, space mining tools, communication antennas, and an energy infrastructure based on solar panels and a nuclear reactor, essential for the long lunar nights.
Participating countries. China is open to international collaboration on this project, although more countries have signed NASA’s Artemis Accords at the moment. Participating countries in the ILRS project currently include Russia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Egypt, Nicaragua, Serbia, Pakistan, South Africa, Thailand, Venezuela, Kazakhstan, and Senegal.
Similar to NASA, China aims to establish a permanent crew on the Moon to facilitate future missions to Mars.
Image | NASA
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