China’s moon plans making the NASA look a bit silly
 

Space travel is really for socialism

"China has formally approved three missions targeting the south pole of the moon, with the first to launch around 2024. each with different goals and an array of spacecraft.

"The trio make up the so-called fourth phase for the Chinese lunar exploration programme, which most recently landed on the moon last December with a sample-return mission dubbed Chang'e 5.

Wu Yanhua, deputy head of the China National Space Administration (CNSA), told China Central Television (CCTV) in a recent interview that the three missions had been approved.

Chang'e 7 will be the first to launch; Wu did not provide a timeline, but previous reporting indicates a hoped-for launch around 2024, with the mission to include an orbiter, a relay satellite, a lander, a rover and a "mini flying craft" designed to seek out evidence of ice at the lunar south pole.

The various component spacecraft will carry a range of science instruments including cameras, a radar instrument, an infrared spectrum mineral imager, a thermometer, a seismograph and a water-molecule analyser; the mission will tackle goals including remote sensing, identifying resources and conducting a comprehensive....

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