China’s next multi-nation space mission is set to reveal secrets from the far side of the moon

China’s next lunar mission – Chang’e 6 – remains on schedule to launch next year on a mission that will see the lander return samples from the far side of the moon to Earth, while hauling payloads from the European Space Agency and Pakistan.

The China National Space Administration (CNSA) also posted on its Weibo account on Friday that the Queqiao 2 communications relay satellite is on course to launch in the first half of 2024. The spacecraft will enable communications between the Earth and the probe, which will land on the side of the moon that permanently faces away from our planet.

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“The past 10 lunar sampling missions in human history have been on the near side of the moon,” the CNSA said. “The far side is relatively older and is home to the Aitken Basin, one of the three major lunar landforms with valuable research potential.”

The CNSA said the aim of the mission is to discover and collect lunar samples from different regions and ages to learn more about the moon.

“To enhance international cooperation, the Chang’e 6 mission will carry payloads and satellites from four countries,” the CNSA said in its post.

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They include a French-made instrument to detect the radioactive gas radon, a negative ion detector from the European Space Agency, an Italian laser corner reflector to calibrate radar systems, and Pakistan’s CubeSat, a square-shaped miniature satellite.

“China is speeding up the international lunar research station project and hopes to be joined by more international partners. [We can] expand human knowledge together and contribute to the peaceful use of space and the shared future for mankind,” the CNSA said.

As for moon rocks, the Chang’e 6 will seek to retrieve 1kg to 2kg (4.4lbs) of samples.

Following the Chang’e 6 mission, the Chang’e 7 robotic probe will land in the moon’s south pole region. Its tasks will include looking for traces of ice, investigating the lunar environment and weather in the region, and surveying landforms.

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The Chang’e 8, the finale of the Chang’e missions, is expected to prospect for resources near the lunar south pole and establish a research station.

In 2020, China joined a small, elite club that includes the United States and the former Soviet Union, after the Chang’e 5 probe returned lunar samples to Earth following a 23-day mission.

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That mission brought back 1.7kg of rocks and dust from Oceanus Procellarum, or the Ocean of Storms, which was formed from solidified lava after an ancient volcanic eruption.

They were later determined to be the youngest rocks ever found on the moon, and revealed the first hard evidence of water on the lunar surface.

South China Morning Post