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In the 2020 Chinese lunar mission, the Chang'e 5, named after
the mythical Chinese goddess of the moon, an uncrewed probe took
back to Earth China's first lunar soil samples. China, which
made its first lunar landing in 2013, plans to land an astronaut
on the moon by 2030.
Between now and then, China will launch the Chang'e 6, 7 and 8
missions, with the latter tasked to look for reusable resources
on the moon for long-term human habitation.
The Chang'e 8 probe will conduct on-site investigations of the
environment and mineral composition, and also determine whether
technologies such as 3D printing can be deployed on the lunar
surface, China Daily reported, quoting Wu Weiren, a scientist at
the China National Space Administration.
"If we wish to stay on the moon for a long time, we need to set
up stations by using the moon's own materials," Wu said.
China wants to start building a lunar base using soil from the
moon in five years, Chinese media reported earlier this month.
A robot tasked with making "lunar soil bricks" will be launched
during the Chang'e 8 mission around 2028, according to an expert
from the Chinese Academy of Engineering.
The race to set foot on the moon has intensified in recent
years, particularly with the United States.
This month, NASA and Canada's space agency named four astronauts
for the Artemis II mission planned for late 2024, in what would
be the first human fly-by of the moon in decades.
(Reporting by Ryan Woo. Editing by Gerry Doyle)
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