Chang'e 7 to carry foreign payloads

Six scientific projects were selected from 18 proposals for flight to moon

China's Chang'e 7 robotic mission will carry six science payloads built by foreign scientists to the moon's south pole, according to the China National Space Administration.

The administration announced on Wednesday in Wuhan, Hubei province, that Chang'e 7, a key mission in the fourth phase of the country's lunar exploration program, is scheduled to be launched around 2026. It will survey the surface environment of the moon's south pole, water ice and volatile components of lunar soil, and also carry out high-precision detection and analysis of the lunar terrain, composition and structure.

To make the best use of opportunities in the Chang'e 7 mission and better cooperate with international partners to explore the moon, the space administration started to solicit proposals in November 2022 for international payloads on the probe.