In the next few days, China will launch a robotic spacecraft on the first of three technically challenging missions to the moon’s ‘hidden’ side, which would prepare the way for the country’s first crewed landing and establishment of a station on the lunar south pole.
China has advanced its lunar exploration since the first Chang’e mission in 2007, which was named after the legendary Chinese moon goddess. As a result, China has closed the technology gap with Russia and the United States.
For the first time in over 40 years, China successfully returned samples from the near side of the moon to Earth in 2020, demonstrating that it could safely return an unmanned spacecraft on Earth from the lunar surface.
NASA’s administrator, Bill Nelson, has expressed concern about Beijing’s polar intentions and has warned repeatedly that China will appropriate any water supplies for itself. US law prohibits NASA from engaging in any direct or indirect cooperation with China. Beijing asserts that it is still dedicated to working with all countries to create a “shared” future.
China will transport payloads from Pakistan, France, Italy, and Sweden on Chang’e-6, and payloads from Russia, Switzerland, and Thailand on Chang’e-7. Chang’e 6 is scheduled to make a landing attempt on the northeastern side of the massive South Pole-Aitkin Basin, which is the solar system’s oldest known impact crater.
In February, IM-1, a collaborative venture between NASA and the Texas-based commercial company Intuitive Machines, made the southernmost landing ever.
