Hong Kong: China will bring to earth samples first ever collected from the Moon’s far side next year.
Officials also revealed China’s more ambitious lunar mission of human landing in this decade and setting up of an international lunar research station.
China’s National Space Administration (CNSA) stated last week that lunar mission Chang’e-6’s work is progressing.
CNSA added that the relay satellite accompanying Chang’e-6 would be launched in the first half of next year, CNN reported.
During the International Astronautical Congress in Baku, Azerbaijan, Chinese officials on Monday called for ‘increased global collaboration for the unmanned lunar expedition’.
The CNSA website on its website said the 2028 Chinese expedition would welcome joint “mission-level” projects.
It means that China is open to working with international partners on spacecraft launch and orbit operation, conduct spacecraft-to-spacecraft “interactions,” and exploring the surface of the moon, as per a document on the CNSA website.
Chinese state media reported that the spacecraft will have room for 200 kilograms payloads from foreign countries, allowing overseas partners to conduct lunar research ‘piggybacking’ off the mission.
The Chang’e-7 in 2026 will collect data for setting up a permanent international research station on the Lunar south pole by 2040.
Hu Hao, who is a senior official working on the Chang’e-6 mission, said that samples collecting from Moon will enable scientists to advance their studies about the far side.
Decades after human landing on the Moon, race for lunar expedition has once again picked up momentum with India becoming the first nation to land on Lunar south last month.
The United States will launch the first test-flight in 2022, to prepare ground for human landing in 2025.
NASA is also planning to make expedition to the Lunar South pole.