Chang'e-6/7/8

Lunar South Pole program

Chang'e-6 along with Chang'e 7 is part of the Chinese Lunar South Pole program, preparing the way for human exploration.

Chang'e 6 South pole sample return mission, launched in mid 2024 on a Long March 5 rocket from Wenchang. It will investigate the topography, composition and subsurface structure of the landing site Aitken Basin, and it will return south polar samples to Earth. The lunar 2 kilograms of material touched down in China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Tuesday morning (25 June 2024).

The South Pole–Aitken basin is an immense impact crater on the far side of the Moon. At roughly 2,500 km in diameter and 13 km deep

Sampling the Lunar Far side in the South Pole-Aitken's Schrödinger Basin

Chang'e-7

Chang'e-7 mission is expected to include an orbiter, a lander and a rover.

The rover will conduct comprehensive surveys around the moon's south pole, studying terrain and landforms, including investigating the water-ice in the shadow pit near the south pole of the Moon,

Chang'e-7 mission will be equipped with a total of 18 payloads including a mini-flying probe.

The lander will land on a crater's illuminated rim, to investigate the formation and evolution of the moon, the space environment and the utilisation of in-situ resources on the moon, which will lay the foundation for the establishment of a long-term lunar research station in the future.

Chang'e-8

Chang'e-8 test program to ready for an eventual a human outpost.

Chang'e-8 mission is expected to include a lander, a rover, and a flying detector as well as a 3D-printing experiment using in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) to test-build a structure, It will also transport a small sealed ecosystem experiment. It will test technology necessary to the construction of a lunar science base.

Note: Chang'e-8 launch is scheduled for 2027

The overall goal is to achieve China’s first manned landing on the Moon by 2030 and carry out lunar scientific exploration and related technological experiments.

China MOON BASE

China's International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), is to be situated in the lunar south pole region with the support of Russia have agreed they will “probably” build a moon research base together.

China Announces a MOON BASE!

It will be developed through a number of upcoming robotic Chang’e missions across the 2020s and expanded through the 2030s.

In the early 2030s an expanded ILRS will involve long-term robotic and potentially short-term crewed missions.