China National Space Administration talks about lunar exploration projects: complete the launch of Chang'e-8 by 2030

Liu Jizhong, director of the Lunar Exploration and Aerospace Engineering Center of the China National Space Administration. Guoxin Network Map

On January 28, the Information Office of the State Council released the white paper "2021 China's Aerospace", and held a press conference at the same time to introduce and interpret the main contents of the white paper. Liu Jizhong, director of the Lunar Exploration and Aerospace Engineering Center of the China National Space Administration, introduced that according to the current overall development progress, around 2025, the relevant work of "Chang'e 6" and "Chang'e 7" will be completed, and the development of "Chang'e 8" will be carried out at the same time; before 2030, the launch of "Chang'e 8" will be completed.

The mainland lunar exploration project was implemented from 2004 to 2020 when the "Chang'e 5" returned to the earth with lunar samples, and has successfully completed the "orbit, fall and return" target tasks of the first, second and third phases of the lunar exploration project. In fact, during the "Thirteenth Five-Year Plan" period, the mainland launched the research work on the follow-up tasks of the lunar exploration project.

Liu Jizhong introduced that after planning, the fourth phase of the lunar exploration included four missions. The first mission, the already launched Chang'e-4, landed on the far side of the moon and has been successfully implemented. There are three follow-up missions, of which "Chang'e 6" to the high-value area of the moon for sampling and return, it can be said that there are new lunar soil, new samples back to the earth, "Chang'e 7" is mainly to the lunar polar region for scientific exploration, especially the lunar water distribution for exploration, "Chang'e 8" will implement the scientific exploration of the polar region and the follow-up of key technologies for scientific research stations to verify.

"Throughout the fourth phase of lunar exploration, we basically have to achieve the basic goal of building a scientific research station, and at the same time lay the foundation for the subsequent construction of an international lunar research station with international cooperation." We are also in close communication and coordination with our international counterparts on these missions, and will work together to carry out relevant detections. Liu Jizhong said that for example, the Chang'e 7 mission has signed an agreement with Russia's "luna-26" to jointly conduct exploration.

He revealed that according to the current overall development progress, around 2025, the relevant work of "Chang'e 6" and "Chang'e 7" will be completed, and the development of "Chang'e 8" will be carried out at the same time; before 2030, the launch of "Chang'e 8" will be completed. In summary, by 2030, the fourth phase of the lunar exploration can achieve the expected results.