In a 2020 Chinese lunar mission, the Chang’e 5, an uncrewed
probe took back to Earth China’s first lunar soil samples. The Chang’e 5 is
named after the mythical Chinese goddess of the Moon.
China, which made its first lunar landing in 2013, plans to
land an astronaut on the Moon by 2030.
Between now and then, China will launch the Chang’e 6, 7 and
8 missions, with the latter tasked to look for reusable resources on the Moon
for long-term human habitation.
The Chang’e 8 probe will conduct on-site investigations of
the environment and mineral composition, as well as determine whether
technologies such as 3D printing can be deployed on the lunar surface, China
Daily reported, quoting Professor Wu Weiren, a scientist at the China National
Space Administration.
“If we wish to stay on the Moon for a long time, we need to
set up stations by using the Moon’s own materials,” said Prof Wu.
China wants to start building a lunar base using soil from
the Moon in five years, Chinese media reported earlier in April.
A robot tasked with making “lunar soil bricks” will be
launched during the Chang’e 8 mission around 2028, according to an expert from
the Chinese Academy of Engineering.
The race among countries to set foot on the Moon has
intensified in recent years, particularly with the United States.
In April, Nasa and Canada’s space agency named four
astronauts for the Artemis II mission planned for late 2024, in what would be
the first human fly-by of the Moon in decades. Reuters