China is set to launch an ambitious mission to the far side of the moon, marking a significant step in its lunar exploration program and potentially setting the stage for a crewed landing and the establishment of a lunar base.
What Happened: China is preparing to launch a robotic spacecraft to the moon’s far side, a mission that will be the first of three challenging endeavors. These missions are expected to set the stage for a Chinese crewed landing and the construction of a base at the moon’s south pole, Reuters reported.
The upcoming mission, named Chang’e-6, is expected to launch this week. It will use the backup spacecraft from the 2020 mission to collect soil and rocks from the moon’s far side. This mission will rely on a recently deployed relay satellite orbiting the moon for communication during its 53-day mission.
China’s future missions, Chang’e-7 and Chang’e-8 in 2026 and 2028, respectively, will also rely on this relay satellite. These missions will focus on exploring the moon’s south pole for water and establishing a rudimentary outpost with Russia. China aims to land its astronauts on the moon by 2030.
Chang’e-6 is set to transport payloads from France, Italy, Sweden, and Pakistan, while Chang’e-7 will carry ...