Chinese Lunar Exploration Program - Wikipedia

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Ouyang Ziyuan, a geologist and chemical cosmologist, is the program's chief scientist. Ye Peijian serves as the program's chief commander and chief designer.[5][better source needed] Sun Jiadong, an aerospace engineer, is the program's general designer and Sun Zezhou is deputy general designer. The leading program manager is Luan Enjie.[citation needed]

The Chinese Lunar Exploration Program is divided into four main operational phases, with each mission serving as a technology demonstrator in preparation for future missions. International cooperation in the form of various payloads and a robotic station is invited by China.[6]

Phase I (robotic): Orbital missions

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The first phase entailed the launch of two lunar orbiters, and is now effectively complete.

• Chang'e 1 was launched aboard a Long March 3A rocket from Xichang Satellite Launch Center on 24 October 2007,[7] having been delayed from the initial planned date of 17–19 April 2007.[8] It scanned the entire Moon in unprecedented detail, generating a high definition 3D map that would provide a reference for future soft landings. The probe also mapped the abundance and distribution of various chemical elements on the lunar surface as part of an evaluation of potentially useful resources.
• Chang'e 2, launched on 1 October 2010 aboard a Long March 3C rocket, reached the Moon in under 5 days, compared to 12 days for Chang'e 1, and mapped the Moon in even greater detail. It then left lunar orbit and headed for the Earth–Sun L2 Lagrangian point in order to test the TT&C network. Having done that it completed a flyby of asteroid 4179 Toutatis on 13 December 2012, before heading into deep space to further test the TT&C network.

Phase II (robotic): Soft landers/rovers

edit  Yutu-2, the first rover deployed on the far side of the Moon, working during Chang'e 4 mission Before Chang-e 5, no lunar sample-return was conducted in over four decades.

The second phase is ongoing[when?], and incorporates spacecraft capable of soft-landing on the Moon and deploying lunar rovers.

• Chang'e 3, launched on 2 December 2013 aboard a Long March 3B rocket, landed on the Moon on 14 December 2013. It carried with it a 140 kilograms (310 pounds) lunar rover named Yutu, which was designed to explore an area of 3 square kilometers (1.2 square miles) during a 3-month mission. It was also supposed to conduct ultra-violet observations of galaxies, active galactic nuclei, variable stars, binaries, novae, quasars, and blazars, as well as the structure and dynamics of the Earth's plasmasphere.
• Chang'e 4 was launched on 7 December 2018. Originally scheduled for 2015, it was a back-up for Chang'e 3. However, as a result of the success of that mission, the configuration of Chang'e 4 was adjusted for the next mission.[9] It landed on 3 January 2019 on the South Pole-Aitken Basin, on the far side of the Moon, and deployed the Yutu-2 rover.[10]

Phase III (robotic): Sample-return

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The third phase included a lunar sample-return mission.

• Chang'e 5-T1 was launched on 23 October 2014. It was designed to test the lunar return spacecraft.
• Chang'e 5 was launched on 23 November 2020, landed near Mons Rümker on the Moon on 1 December 2020, and returned to Earth with 1,731 grams (61.1 oz) of lunar samples back to Earth.[11][12]

Phase IV (robotic): Lunar robotic research station

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Phase IV is the development of an autonomous lunar research station near the Moon's south pole.[6][13][14] The Phase IV program entered active development in 2023 following the successful completion of the previous three phases.[15]

• Chang'e 6, launched on 3 May 2024,[16][17][18] investigated the topography, composition and subsurface structure of the South Pole–Aitken basin on the far side of the Moon. The mission returned samples to Earth from Apollo Basin on the far side of the Moon.[19][20] It also carried a Chinese rover called Jinchan to conduct infrared spectroscopy of lunar surface and imaged Chang'e 6 lander on lunar surface.[21]
• Chang'e 7, expected to launch in 2026, is a mission that will explore the south pole for resources. The mission will include an orbiter, a lander, and a mini-flying probe.[22]
• Chang'e 8, expected to launch in 2028, will verify in-situ resource development and utilization technologies.[22] It may include a lander, a rover, and a flying detector,[13] as well as a 3D-printing experiment using in situ resource utilization (ISRU) to test-build a structure,[6] It will also transport a small sealed ecosystem experiment.[13] It will test technology necessary to the construction of a lunar science base.[23]

Crewed mission phase

edit See also: Mengzhou (spacecraft) and Lanyue

In 2019, China was reviewing preliminary studies for a crewed lunar landing mission in the 2030s,[24][25] and possibly building an outpost near the lunar south pole with international cooperation.[6][24]

On 12 July 2023, at the 9th China (International) Commercial Aerospace Forum in Wuhan, Hubei province, Zhang Hailian, a deputy chief designer with the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA), publicly introduced a preliminary plan to land two astronauts on the Moon by the year 2030[1] using the Mengzhou crewed spacecraft and the Lanyue crewed lunar lander.[26][27]

On 28 September 2024, in Chongqing, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) unveiled the extravehicular lunar spacesuit and also solicited suggestions for a name for the suit.[28]

2035 and thereafter: International Moon base and application

edit See also: Moonbase

In 2021, China and Russia announced they will be building a Moon base together, also formally invited more countries and international organizations to join their International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) project being developed by the two nations,[29] as an alternative to the American Artemis Program.[30] China announced on April 24 the International Lunar Research Station Cooperation Organization (ILRSCO) with members including: China, Russia, South Africa, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Venezuela, Pakistan and Egypt.[31]