On April 29, China announced that its Chang’e 6 spacecraft is preparing for a round trip to the Moon’s far side.
This mission marks the first of three high-tech missions set to unfold over the next four years, paving the way for China’s first crewed landing by 2030 and the establishment of a base at the Moon’s South Pole.
The Chang’e 6 lunar probe and the Long March 5 Y8 rocket assembly being prepared at the Wenchang Space Launch Site, Hainan Province (China).
Since the first Chang’e mission in 2007, China has made significant strides in lunar exploration, narrowing the technological gap with the United States and Russia.
The chief designer of China’s lunar exploration program, Wu Yihua, stated that the Chang’e 6 is launched to perform a sampling mission on the Moon’s far side and return to Earth. This is a crucial task in the phase of building the version of the International Lunar Research Station.
The sampling by Chang’e 6 could also shed light on the Moon’s early evolution and that of the solar system. After a successful landing, the spacecraft will collect about 2 kg of samples using a scoop and drill. If successful, the Chang’e 6 mission will mark a significant milestone for China’s space research program.
Following this, Chang’e 7 is scheduled to be launched around 2026 to explore resources and the environment at the Moon’s South Pole.
Chang’e 8 is expected to be launched around 2028 to conduct in-situ resource utilization experiments on the Moon.
Wu Yihua also revealed that China plans to initiate the Tianwen-2 mission around 2025 to conduct an exploratory flight and retrieve samples from a small asteroid located about 40 million kilometers from Earth. By around 2030, Tianwen-3 is expected to be launched to carry out a mission to return samples from Mars.
Wu Yihua noted that given the current pace of advancements among countries worldwide, China may be the first nation to return samples from Mars to Earth.
