Chang'e 7 (Chinese: 嫦娥七号; pinyin: Cháng'é qīhào) is a planned robotic Chinese lunar exploration mission expected to be launched in 2026 to target the lunar south pole.[5] Like its predecessors, the spacecraft is named after the Chinese moon goddess Chang'e. The mission will include an orbiter, a lander, a mini-hopping probe, and a rover.[6]
| Mission type | Orbiter, Lander, lunar rover, hopping probe[1] |
|---|---|
| Operator | CNSA |
| Mission duration | 8 years (planned)[2] |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | CAST |
| Launch mass | 8,200 kg (18,100 lb)[2] |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 2026 (planned)[3] |
| Rocket | Long March 5 |
| Launch site | Wenchang |
| Moon lander | |
| Landing site | Peak near the southeast ridge of Shackleton crater 88°48′S 123°24′E / 88.8°S 123.4°E[4] |
Overview
editThe Chinese Lunar Exploration Program is designed to be conducted in four[7] phases of incremental technological advancement: The first is simply reaching lunar orbit, a task completed by Chang'e 1 in 2007 and Chang'e 2 in 2010. The second is landing and roving on the Moon, as Chang'e 3 did in 2013 and Chang'e 4 did in 2019 (The rover still being active as of 2024). The third is collecting lunar samples from the near-side and far-side of the moon and sending them to Earth, a task accomplished by Chang'e 5 in 2020 and by Chang'e 6 mission in 2024. The fourth phase consists of development of a robotic research station near the Moon's south pole.[7][8][9] The program aims to facilitate a crewed lunar landing in the 2030s and possibly build an outpost near the lunar south pole.[10]
Chang'e-7 mission will try to land on the illuminated rim of Shackleton crater near the lunar south pole.[11]
Scientific objectives
editThe official scientific objectives of Chang'e 7 mission are:[12]
- Investigation and study of lunar surface environment and water ice in its soil.
- High-precision investigation and study of morphology, composition and structure of the Moon.
- Investigation and study of interior structure, magnetic field and thermal characteristics of the Moon.
- General investigation and study of surface environment of the south pole of the Moon.
- Moon-based observation and study of the Earth's magnetotail and plasmasphere.
Scientific payloads
editChang'e-7 will carry a total of 21 scientific payloads, including 6 international payloads, aiming to conduct detailed exploration of the environment and resources in the south polar region of the moon. Mission objectives include fixed-point landings. In situ observations of the permanently shadowed crater will be made by the mini-hopping probe, which will carry water molecule and hydrogen isotope analyzers.[2][13][14][15]
Lunar orbiter
- High Resolution Stereo Mapping Camera
- At an altitude of 100 km, the resolution of the lunar surface is better than 0.5 m, and the imaging width is greater than 18 km
- At an altitude of 15 km, the resolution of the lunar surface is better than 0.075 m, and the imaging width is greater than 0.9 km
- Miniature Synthetic Aperture Radar
- Imaging resolution better than 0.3 m
- Wide Band Infrared Spectrum Mineral Imaging Analyzer
- Lunar Neutron Gamma Spectrometer
- Lunar Orbit Magnetometer
- Lunar Surface Material Hyperspectral Imager (jointly developed by the Egyptian Space Agency and the Bahrain National Space Science Agency)
- Moon-based Dual-channel Earth Radiation Spectrometer (developed by the Physical Meteorological Observatory in Davos, Switzerland)
- Space Weather Global Monitoring Sensor Device (Developed by the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation of Thailand and the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand)
Lunar lander
- Landing Camera
- Topography Camera
- Lunar Surface Environment Detection System
- Electric field probe
- Low-energy ion probe
- Low-energy electron probe
- Intermediate/high energy particle probe
- Dust probe
- Lunar Seismograph
- Laser Corner Reflector Array (developed by the Italian National Institute of Nuclear Physics-Frascati National Laboratory)
- Lunar Dust and Electric Field Probe (developed by the Russian Academy of Space Sciences)
- Moon-based Astronomical Observation Telescope (developed by the International Association of Lunar Observatories)
Lunar rover
- Panoramic Camera
- Rover Magnetometer
- Lunar Penetrating Radar
- Lunar Raman Spectrometer
- In-situ Measuring System of Volatiles and Istopes on Lunar Surface
Mini-hopping probe
- Water Molecule and Hydrogen Isotope Analyzer
Launch
editThe probe is planned to be launched by a Long March 5 rocket in 2026, from the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center on Hainan Island.[3]
References
edit- ^ "The Space Review: What is China doing at the lunar distant retrograde orbit?". www.thespacereview.com. Retrieved 2022-04-12.
- ^ a b c Zou, Yongliao; Liu, Yang; Jia, Yingzhuo. "Overview of China's Upcoming Chang'e Series and the Scientific Objectives and Payloads for Chang'e-7 Mission" (PDF). 51st Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (2020). Retrieved 2023-08-26.
- ^ a b Jones, Andrew (19 September 2022). "UAE rover to fly on China's Chang'e-7 lunar south pole mission". SpaceNews. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
- ^ "Philleafspace" (in Simplified Chinese). weibo. 2023-04-25. Retrieved 2023-04-25.
- ^ McCarthy, Simone (2024-06-25). "China's Chang'e-6 moon mission returns to Earth with historic far side samples". CNN. Retrieved 2024-06-25.
- ^ Jones, Andrew (29 March 2022). "Next China moon mission will need precision landing to target ice at south pole". Space.com. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
- ^ a b Chang'e 4 press conference. CNSA, broadcast on 14 January 2019.
- ^ China's Planning for Deep Space Exploration and Lunar Exploration before 2030. (PDF) XU Lin, ZOU Yongliao, JIA Yingzhuo. Space Sci., 2018, 38(5): 591-592. doi:10.11728/cjss2018.05.591
- ^ A Tentative Plan of China to Establish a Lunar Research Station in the Next Ten Years. Zou, Yongliao; Xu, Lin; Jia, Yingzhuo. 42nd COSPAR Scientific Assembly. Held 14–22 July 2018, in Pasadena, California, USA, Abstract id. B3.1-34-18.
- ^ Huang, Echo (26 April 2018). "China lays out its ambitions to colonize the moon and build a "lunar palace"". Quartz.
- ^ Jones, Andrew (2024-01-30). "China's Chang'e-7 moon mission to target Shackleton crater". SpaceNews. Retrieved 2024-08-19.
- ^ "Announcement of Opportunity Solicitating for Payloads onboard Chang'E-7 Mission" (PDF). CNSA. 22 September 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
- ^ "月函〔2020〕号". 中国探月工程网. Archived from the original on 2021-07-30. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
- ^ Wang, Chi; Jia, Yingzhuo; Xue, Changbin; Lin, Yangting; Liu, Jianzhong; Fu, Xiaohui; Xu, Lin; Huang, Yun; Zhao, Yufen; Xu, Yigang; Gao, Rui; Wei, Yong; Tang, Yuhua; Yu, Dengyun; Zou, Yongliao (2024). "Scientific objectives and payload configuration of the Chang'E-7 mission". National Science Review. 11 (2). doi:10.1093/nsr/nwad329. PMC 10880881. PMID 38384740. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
- ^ "國際月球科研站再添3成員 嫦娥七號將搭載6台國際載荷" (in Chinese). 文匯網. 2024-04-24. Retrieved 2024-04-24.