A mission that will launch in 2024 will try to gather materials from the lunar surface’s far side.
The expedition is scheduled to launch sometime next year, according to information published by China’s space agency. The mission, code-named Chang’e-6, would be Beijing’s second effort to collect tangible samples from the natural satellite of the Earth.
The China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced the mission’s launch date and stated that the project was proceeding “as planned” on social media on Friday.
In order to find and gather lunar samples from various regions and ages to further human understanding of the moon, the Chang’e-6 mission’s pre-selected landing place is situated in the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the far side of the moon, according to the agency.
The spacecraft, which bears the Chinese moon goddess Chang’e’s name, will also transport “payloads and satellite projects from four countries,” according to the CNSA, including cutting-edge sensors created by France, Italy, Pakistan, and the European Space Agency (ESA).
The mission will also benefit from China’s recently created Queqiao-2 relay communication satellite, which will aid in establishing contact between the Chang’e and its operators back on Earth. According to the space agency, that project is expected to be finished in the first half of 2024.
The Chinese spacecraft will attempt to collect up to 2 kilogrammes of lunar surface material, which scientists will examine for signs of water ice and other substances. With its 2020 Chang’e-5 mission, Beijing joined a select group of countries, including the US and the former Soviet Union, that have successfully brought back lunar samples.
The most recent CNSA declaration comes after a series of Moon missions that have been launched or successfully completed by a number of nations in recent months, with India’s space agency making its first trip to the lunar surface in August. Around the same time, Moscow’s Luna-25 mission attempted a landing of its own but failed due to technical difficulties. Nevertheless, Roscosmos expressed optimism for “the future missions of Luna-26, 27, and 28” and claimed the landing attempt produced useful data for scientists.
Japan launched its “Moon sniper” mission earlier this month in an effort to place a probe on the moon by the next year and perform a “pinpoint landing” within 100 metres from its intended location.
China claims to be planning two additional Chang’e missions beyond Chang’e-6 that aim to bring a robotic lander to the Moon’s south pole and eventually build a research base there.
