One of the highlights of Chang'e-6's upcoming lunar mission will be to share samples of lunar rock and dust with 18 countries, including the United States.
According to the plan, the Chang'e-6 probe will lift off from the Wenchang Cosmodrome in August 2024 and arrive near the moon after about five days of flight, with the final site located in an ancient impact basin in the southern hemisphere of the moon. This area was chosen because of the craters from all over the solar system, which accumulate a rich variety of lunar soil material.
Once Chang'e-6 has landed and lunar soil samples have been collected, the samples will be divided into two parts. One of them will remain in China for research by Chinese researchers, and the other will be shared with scientists in 18 countries.
The 18 countries include the United States, Russia, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, South Korea, India, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Belarus.
China's decision to share lunar soil samples with these countries is based on two main considerations: first, to expand China's influence in the international space field and promote global cooperation in lunar scientific research; The second is to attract more partners in the future utilization of lunar resources and form a community of interests.
In fact, the prospects for the development and utilization of lunar resources are very impressive. It is estimated that the surface of the moon contains a large number of scarce resources, which, if exploited, will revolutionize human energy and related industries. The lunar soil also contains valuable precipitation information from the formation of the moon to billions of years, which is of great significance for the study of extraterrestrial life and the origin of the universe.
At the same time, China's space authorities are also preparing the first unmanned flight around the moon of a new generation of manned spacecraft. This will make technical reserves for the construction of a lunar scientific research station in the future. Some analysts believe that with China's current space strength, landing on the moon in the next few years will not be a problem. At that time, China will become the third country after the United States and Russia to leave footprints on the moon.
However, judging from the current situation, China does not intend to confront European and American countries in the lunar field, but hopes to create an international atmosphere for the peaceful use of lunar resources. For example, by sharing lunar soil samples brought back by Chang'e-6, China has established cooperative relations with scientific research institutions in many countries.
In addition, China welcomes more countries to participate in China's lunar and planetary exploration programs. Spacecraft from many countries have been carried on the Chang'e series of probes, realizing "resource sharing and opportunity sharing". China said that it will continue to uphold this concept of openness and cooperation, and work with other countries to contribute to the peaceful use of lunar resources by all mankind.
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