China Prepares for a New Moon Mission: Chang'e-7 Will Feature a Rover and a Hopper Along with Lander and Orbiter

In recent days, there has been much discussion about the Moon due to the Artemis II mission that successfully brought humans beyond low Earth orbit. Now that the mission has concluded successfully, our natural satellite will be visited by several robotic missions in the coming months in anticipation of a possible human landing early in 2028 (Artemis IV mission).

One of the most important missions is Chang'e-7, which China plans to launch in the second half of the year. Unlike Chang'e-5 and Chang'e-6, it does not aim to return rock and regolith samples to Earth. Instead, this Chinese mission will focus on studying the natural satellite using various instruments such as an orbiter, a lander, a rover, and a hopper.

On April 9, the spacecraft arrived at the Wenchang spaceport, where integration with the rocket and final tests will be conducted in preparation for the launch in the coming months. Among the interesting features of Chang'e-7 will be the integration of a Chinese flag on the lander that can "flutter" on the lunar surface thanks to an ingenious trick.

Assisting the mission on the lunar surface will be both the orbiter and the relay probe Queqiao-2 (launched at the beginning of 2024). The lander will allow the release of a rover and a hopper, both equipped with various scientific instruments. In particular, the hopper will use small jumps to move across the Moon's surface and will feature a time-of-flight mass spectrometer that can analyze samples collected by a drill that reaches up to one meter deep.

Chang'e-7 will be tasked with finding and analyzing the ice located in the permanently shadowed craters of the Moon. The system will also be able to understand the ratio of semi-heavy water to light water to comprehend its origin. Moreover, it will explore the interaction between the lunar environment and impacts from meteorites or small asteroids, as well as how solar wind affects the surface and the molecules found in the Moon's soil.