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Chang’e 6 is poised to significantly expand the knowledge of Earth’s closest neighbor
China plans to use its next lunar mission, Chang’e 6, to collect samples from the moon’s south pole or possibly the far side of the celestial body, according to a key figure in the nation’s lunar exploration program.
Wu Yanhua, deputy director of the China National Space Administration, told China Daily on Thursday after a press conference in Beijing that current plans by project managers call for the Chang’e 6 robotic probe to land in the south pole. lunar.
“But if the Queqiao (relay satellite) is still working fine when we launch Chang’e 6, we can also consider sending it to the other side to take some samples there,” he said. “This is because there has never been a mission to return samples from the other side, and if we do so … it will be very meaningful to scientists around the world.”
The official said that deploying a mission to return samples from the far side, which always faces away from Earth, would incur some risk, but would be worth it for the sake of advancing knowledge about a little-known area.
In December 2018, China launched its fourth lunar probe, Chang’e 4, with the far side as a destination. The spacecraft made a soft landing in January 2019 in the Von Karman crater in the South Pole-Aitken basin on the opposite side, inaugurating humanity’s first close observation of what is also known as the “dark side of the moon.” .
Queqiao, the satellite responsible for transmitting signals between Chang’e 4 and ground control, was launched in May 2018.
Chang’e 4, which is still in operation, has allowed scientists to learn about the moon, deepening our understanding of the early history of the alien body and the solar system. The mission’s Yutu 2 rover, the second of its kind made by China and the first in the world to reach the other side, has become the second longest operational rover on the Moon.
Wu also mentioned the planned missions of Chang’e 7 and 8 at the press conference, saying that among his many goals, one of the main ones will be to explore the technological feasibility of international cooperation to jointly build a robotic scientific research outpost. on the moon.
It did not disclose detailed timelines for those missions, only saying that they will take place in the next 15 years.
The space administration has previously revealed that Chang’e 7 is scheduled to conduct a specific investigation of the lunar south pole environment and resources, while Chang’e 8 will be tasked with testing and verifying cutting-edge technologies that can be applied in future expeditions. moles. .
As for whether China will undertake manned lunar missions, Wu said the decision will be made after the nation puts into service its manned space station, which is scheduled for 2022.
D of its kind made by China and the first in the world to reach the other side, it has become the second longest operational rover on the Moon.
Queqiao, the satellite responsible for transmitting signals between Chang’e 4 and ground control, was launched in May 2018.
Wu also mentioned the Chang’e 7 and 8 missions at the press conference, saying that among his many goals, a major one will be to explore the technological feasibility of international cooperation at a robotic scientific research outpost on the Moon.
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