BAKU, Azerbaijan \u2014 China has laid out details of its planned Chang’e-8 mission to test in-situ resource utilization on the moon, while also opening the project to international cooperation.<\/p>
Chang\u2019e-8 is slated to launch in 2028 on a Long March 5 rocket from Wenchang spaceport. It will serve as a basis for China\u2019s future, larger-scale International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) project, China National Space Administration (CNSA) officials stated at the 74th International Astronautical Congress in Baku, Oct. 2.<\/p>
The mission will consist of a lander, rover and robot. Science objectives include investigating the local geology, moon-based Earth observation, analyzing in-situ lunar samples and experimenting with resource utilization. Testing an enclosed terrestrial ecosystem in the lunar environment is also noted.<\/p>
The mission builds on China’s progress and achievements over the past decade and will verify key technologies for future missions.<\/p>
Li Guoping, chief engineer at CNSA, announced that China is open <\/a>to international cooperation for the mission at different levels, from mission, to system and payload-levels.<\/p> This was later clarified to include 200 kilograms of payload capacity for piggyback missions. CNSA set a deadline of Dec. 31 for letters of intent, with preliminary and final selections to be completed by April and September 2024 respectively.<\/p> Wang Qiong, deputy chief designer of Chang’e-8, provided further details on the mission.<\/p> Regions around Leibnitz Beta, Amundsen crater, Cabeus crater and the Shackleton-de Gerlache Ridge are cited as preliminary landing sites. Three of these, including the latter connecting ridge<\/a>, are being considered for the Artemis 3 crewed landing mission.<\/p>