(Multimedia) The Chinese mission Chang’e -7 will land on the southern pole of the moon to search for water ice – Xinhua
Beijing, February 4 (Xinhua)-The Chinese lunar probe Chang’e-7, whose launch is planned in 2026, will target the southern pole of the moon to search for water ice and test essential cutting-edge technologies for Sustainable human activities on the Moon, China Media Group reported on Monday.
The mission, which uses an innovative spacecraft equipped with a water molecules analyzer, aims to confirm the presence and distribution of water ice in the permanently shaded craters, depending on the report.
The Chang’e-3 and Chang’e-5 missions have successfully posed on the side near the Moon, while the Chang’e-4 and Chang’e-6 missions have succeeded in historical landings on the hidden face . Consequently, the planned landing of Chang’e-7 at the South Pole of the Moon will test the capacity of the Chinese lunar probe to reach any region of the Moon, said Tang Yuhua, deputy chief designer of The Chang’e-7 mission, during an interview.
If lunar water ice cream is successfully located, this could considerably reduce the cost and time required to transport water from earth, facilitating the establishment of a human base for long -term activities on the Moon And allowing to continue a more advanced exploration of March or distant space, said Ms. Tang.
According to Wu Weiren, chief designer of the Chinese lunar exploration program, the Chang’e -7 probe – composed of an orbiter, a landing, a rover and a mobile hopper – will be confronted with challenges extremes, especially temperatures below less than 100 degrees Celsius and complex terrain.
The hopper, a unique lunar explorer, “jump” from sunny areas to shaded craters to carry out detailed analyzes. The landing will deploy the first Chinese system of “landmarks navigation” in the distant space to guarantee precision, while the hopper will use an active shock absorption technology to land safely on the slopes, according to the report .
The probe can autonomously analyze its landing ground, more than half of its operations being carried out independently, without intervention on the ground. The solar panels installed vertically on the probe are optimized to capture sunlight at low angle near the lunar pole, said Ms. Tang, adding that the mission had entered its final assembly and test phase. ■