The Chinese government has formally approved three robotic missions to the Moon that will lay the foundation for a permanent lunar base.
The Chang’e . Program The missions under development are progressing well, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced on September 10, with the next spacecraft, Chang’e 6, nearly complete.
China has made a number of leaps and bounds in lunar exploration since robotics began the moon program in 2004. In successive missions, the nation successfully launched first a pair of orbital vehicles, then a lander and a rover; just run Landing on the moon on the far side Even today; And recently carried out a complex task to return the sample.
Related: China’s Yutu 2 rover discovers a cube-shaped “mysterious hut” on the far side of the moon
Liu Zhizong, director of CNSA’s Lunar Exploration Center and Space Program, said CCTV (Opens in a new tab)The overall goal of these missions is to lay the foundation for the lunar research station.
“There are a lot of technological issues that need to be addressed,” Liu said. “However, with the foundation we have built and the excellent team, I think we will succeed.”
It will be the first of the new missions Chang’e 6which was initially created as a backup for 2020 Chang’e 5 Moon sample return mission. Chang’e 5 is successful, so the spacecraft is being redirected to the goals of the first-ever attempt to collect samples from the far side of the Moon. The CNSA has not provided a timetable for the mission, despite the advanced stages of spacecraft development.
Next, Chang’e 7 will target the south pole of the moon. The mission will consist of an orbiter, a lander, a rover, a relay satellite, and a small detector that can jump into pits to reach the Searching for water.
Chang’e 8 It will be launched later this decade and aims to test 3D printing technologies and use of local resources.
China is planning a project called International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) in cooperation with Russia 2030 and is looking for partners to join this endeavour.
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