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Chang'e 8

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Chang'e 8
Mission typeLander, lunar rover, robot[1]
OperatorCNSA
Spacecraft properties
ManufacturerCAST
Start of mission
Launch date2028 (planned)[1]
RocketLong March 5
Launch siteWenchang
Moon lander
Landing siteShackleton-de Gerlache ridge, or
Leibnitz Beta, or
Amundsen (crater), or
Cabeus (crater)[1]
← Chang'e 7
ILRS-1 →

Chang'e 8 (Chinese: 嫦娥八号; pinyin: Cháng'é báhào) is a planned robotic mission by China to explore the lunar south pole and to establish the technical predicate for the future International Lunar Research Station (ILRS). The mission is expected to launch in 2028 and will include a lander, a rover, and a robot.[1][2]

Overview

China intends to launch the Chang'e 8 mission as part of its plan to construct the International Lunar Research Station during the 2030s. Chang'e 8 will follow in the footsteps of the planned Chang'e 7 mission. Chang'e 8 would continue the physical investigation of the lunar south pole region that will have begun in 2026 by Chang'e 7 while expanding its activities to include new experiments involving in-situ resource utilization. Chang'e 8 will also serve as the basis for a larger scale lunar research station during the ensuing decade.[1]

The mission will include 200 kilograms of "piggyback" payload capacity available for international instruments. CNSA has set December 31, 2023 as the deadline for the submission of letters of intent by interested parties to contribute payloads to the mission.[3]。

Potential landing areas

Wang Qiong, deputy chief designer of the Chang'e-8 mission, has indicated possible lunar south pole landing areas include Leibnitz Beta, Amundsen crater, Cabeus crater, and the ridge connecting the Shackleton and de Gerlache craters.[1]

Science goals

In the October 2023 document that accompanied CNSA's announcement of international cooperation opportunities for the Chang'e 8 mission, the following mission aims are listed:[3]

  • Detection and research of multiple physical fields at the lunar surface
  • Detection and research of the geologic profiles at the landing region
  • Moon-based observation of Earth's atmospheric energy-balance and of Earth's magnetosphere
  • Experiment and research on lunar in-situ sample analyses and in-situ resource utilization
  • Experiment and research employing an enclosed mini-terrestrial-ecosystem on the lunar surface

Mission instruments

Currently, the science paylods on the mission include the following:[1]

Lander

  • landing camera
  • topography camera
  • seismometer
  • radiometer (for Earth observation)
  • multispectral imager
  • soft x-ray telescope
  • Earth ecosystem in lunar environment experiment
  • experiments involving lunar resource utilization (ISRU)

Rover

  • panoramic camera
  • ground penetrating radar
  • infrared spectrum mineral analyzer
  • in-situ lunar sample analysis and storage device.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Jones, Andrew (2 October 2023). "China outlines Chang'e-8 resource utilization mission to the lunar south pole". spacenews.com. Retrieved 2023-10-02.
  2. ^ "嫦娥七号、嫦娥八号将组成我国月球科研站基本型--经济·科技--人民网". finance.people.com.cn. Retrieved 2023-10-02.
  3. ^ a b "嫦娥八号任务国际合作机遇公告" (pdf). 中国国家航天局. 2023-10-02. Retrieved 2023-10-02.
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