Why China’s Chang’e-7 Mission Is Sending Six-Legged Flying Robot To Moon’s South Pole? Know Significance

China will launch its ambitious Chang’e-7 Lunar detector in 2026, targeting the Lunar South Pole to find water ice and test advanced technology to enable future human habitation. The mission is designed to explore permanently shaded craters suspected of the existence of water ice and potentially pave the way for long-term lunar and deep space exploration.

Source: CNSA

Task Components

Element

Function

track

Investigate the moon from orbit and pass data back to Earth.

Rand

Ensure a safe touchdown and deploy scientific tools.

Rover

Explore the moon’s surface and collect data on topography and resources.

Flying robot detector (hopper)

A mobile explorer jumps between sunlight and shaded areas to analyze the presence of water.

Why is China’s Chang’e-7 mission exploring the moon’s Antarctic?

The main goals of the Chang’e-7 mission to explore the South Pole of the Moon are:

Objective

detail

Water ice detection

Confirm and analyze the presence of water ice in the permanently shaded areas.

Moon surface analysis

Study the topographic and geological composition of the moon’s South Pole.

Atmospheric research

Study the thin outer layer of the moon for scientific insights.

Resource utilization

Evaluate the potential of in-situ resource utilization (ISRU).

Technology progress

Develop and test new technologies for future lunar missions.

What are the main goals of China’s Chang’e-7 mission?

  • Water ice detection: Confirm the presence and distribution of water ice in permanently shaded craters.
  • Technical demonstration: Innovative landing and navigation systems for lunar exploration.
  • Future Moon Base: Assessing resource availability to reduce dependence on water supply.
  • Deep Space Exploration: Supports long-term human missions to the moon, Mars and other regions.

Why Antarctica?

  • The existence of water ice: crucial to maintaining future lunar missions and the source of hydrogen and oxygen as fuel.
  • Continuous Sunshine: Unlike other regions, Antarctica receives long-term sunshine and is very suitable for power generation.
  • Potential for residence: Antarctica is the main candidate for future lunar bases.

Source: svs.gsfc.nasa

What advanced technologies are used for China Chang’e-7 missions?

Advanced technologies for China Chang’e-7 missions are:

  • Intelligent Flight Detector (Hopper): An impact-absorbing leg drive system that accurately lands on uneven terrain.
  • Landmark image navigation system: China’s first deep space automatic navigation technology for precise landing.
  • Autonomous topographic analysis: enables the probe to evaluate and adapt to the landing surface without ground intervention.
  • Optimized solar panels: Placed vertically to capture low-angle sunlight at the moon pole.

What are the challenges facing China’s Chang’e-7 during the mission? What will its innovation be?

Detailed challenges and their solutions:

challenge

Solution

Extremely cold (below -100°C)

Thermal insulation and energy-saving systems.

Uneven terrain

Active impact absorption technology in the hopper.

Limited sunlight in shadow craters

Vertical solar panels improve efficiency.

Independent action

AI-driven navigation and terrain assessment.

What is the significance of China’s Chang’e-7 mission?

The significance of the task will be:

  • Reduce costs and time: Positioning water ice eliminates the need to transport water from the earth.
  • Enhanced Lunar Capacity: Demonstrate China’s landing and operational capabilities anywhere on the moon.
  • Prepare for human colonization: Support the establishment of sustainable lunar bases.
  • Improve deep space exploration: Provide insights into future missions in Mars and beyond.

What is China’s lunar ambition for the future?

  • Part of China’s long-term roadmap is to establish a permanent lunar research station by the 2030s.
  • Work with international space agencies to conduct shared research.
  • The potential predecessor of the manned mission on the moon.

Which country was the first to reach the South Pole of the Moon?

Reaching to the Moon’s Antarctic has been a major challenge due to its severe terrain and extreme temperature changes. Chandrayaan-3 mission is India, and the first country to successfully complete its mission at the Antarctic of the Moon is India.

Mission details

describe

nation

India

mechanism

Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)

Task name

Chandrayaan-3

Landing date

August 23, 2023

Landing point

Near the Antarctic, the latitude is 69.36°

Objective

Study the moon’s surface, detect water ice and analyze the moon’s composition

Source: isro.gov.in

Why the landing of Chandrayaan-3 is historic

  • The first soft landing near Antarctica: Previous missions only observed orbits in the region.
  • Confirm the presence of sulfur and other elements: the key to understanding moon geology.
  • Pragyan: Successfully explored the moon’s surface and sent back valuable data.

Compare with other tasks

nation

mission

result

Russia (Soviet)

Luna 9 (1966)

First, land softly on the moon (not near the South Pole).

USA

Apollo 11 (1969)

The first human landed on the moon (equatorial region).

China

Chang’e-4 (2019)

The first mission is to land on the other side of the moon.

India

Chandrayaan-3 (2023)

First, successfully landed near Antarctic.

in conclusion

India’s Chandrayaan-3 became history, becoming the first mission to successfully land near the South Pole of the Moon, demonstrating India’s growing space capabilities and making a significant contribution to lunar exploration. Building on this momentum, China’s upcoming Chang’e-7 mission marks another important step in space exploration. If successful, it could unravel key insights into water ice reserves, pave the way for ongoing lunar residence, and further promote our understanding of untapped areas of the moon.