SHANGHAI (Reuters) – China plans to send a pair of robots in 2024 to explore the region of the Moon that always faces away from Earth, on a mission that could help the country identify potential resources and pave the way for human exploration. The mission, Chang’e 7, will look for water resources and other geological features on the far side of the Moon, which humans have never visited, and explore the polar parts of the Moon that receive the most intense sunlight. The rover and lander, each weighing about 300 kilograms (660 pounds), will be launched on a Long March 5 rocket from the Wenchang launch site in the southern island province of Hainan, according to a report on Thursday by the state-run Xinhua news agency. The Chang’e 5 probe, which landed on the Moon in December, brought back about 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) of rock and soil samples, the first lunar samples gathered since the former Soviet Union’s mission in 1976. China has big ambitions in space. It wants to build a crewed space station by 2022, send a crewed mission to the Moon by 2030 and eventually establish a lunar research base. The United States is planning to send astronauts back to the Moon by 2024, and NASA chief Bill Nelson said last month he expected “the Chinese to do their best to beat us there.” China has invested heavily in its space program in recent years and the Chang’e 7 mission is another step forward in its ambitious space exploration plans. The mission could help China gain a better understanding of the Moon’s far side and identify potential resources that could be used in future missions. It could also pave the way for human exploration of the Moon’s far side, which could happen as early as 2030. The Chang’e 7 mission is a key part of China’s ambitious space exploration plans. The mission will help China learn more about the Moon and its resources, and it could pave the way for human exploration of the Moon’s far side. If successful, the Chang’e 7 mission will be another major milestone in China’s space program. China is rapidly becoming a major player in space exploration, and the Chang’e 7 mission is a clear demonstration of its ambitions..
China to send robots to explore the Moon’s far side
