China’s upcoming lunar mission, known as Chang’e 6, is set to carry asatellite from Pakistan along with payloads from other nations. The ChinaNational Space Administration (CNSA) announced via social media thatChang’e 6 is scheduled for launch in the first half of 2024. This missionaims to transport instruments and equipment not only from Pakistan but alsofrom the European Space Agency (ESA), France, and Italy to the moon.
One notable aspect of Chang’e 6 is its inclusion of French instrumentsdesigned to test for radioactive gas. Additionally, the ESA will contributeits Negative Ion Detector, while Italy will provide the Valle Brett RadarSystem, all of which will be deployed on the lunar surface.
Among the payload on Chang’e 6 is Pakistan’s CubeSat satellite, marking asignificant step in China’s efforts to expand international cooperationthrough the International Lunar Research Station project, which is gainingmomentum.
The CNSA emphasized that this mission is dedicated to enhancinginternational collaboration by transporting payloads and satellites fromfour different countries. Chang’e 6 is uniquely poised to explore the darkside of the moon, collect surface samples, and then return them to Earth.
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Importantly, this marks the first time that lunar samples from the darkside of the moon will be brought back to Earth. Previous missions primarilycollected samples from the near side. The overarching goal of Chang’e 6 isto amass diverse lunar samples to gain deeper insights into the moon’s ageand geological history.
Looking ahead, after Chang’e 6, China is planning to launch the Chang’e 7robotic mission to the moon’s south pole. This mission will focus onsearching for signs of ice while conducting extensive examinations of theregion’s atmosphere and weather patterns.
