China outlines its plans to analyze and study water-ice on the Moon as part of the Chang'e-7 mission poised to launch in 2026.
Upon reaching lunar orbit, the orbiter will deploy a lander and a game-changing addition to lunar exploration—a mini-flying probe. This probe will be designed with the capability to fly from sunlit regions on the lunar south pole to the dark, frozen depths of impact craters within the PSRs., the mini-flying probe will be able to explore once inaccessible regions, making it a key asset in the search for lunar water-ice.
When combined with in-situ resource utilization , lunar water-ice could significantly reduce the need for constant resupply from Earth, leading to significant savings, especially in cost, time, and resources. Currently, several PSR impact craters are targets for water-ice exploration, with Shackleton Crater being a noteworthy mention. Despite its bottom being in the dark for billions of years, portions of Shackleton’s interiors were recently captured in high resolution by NASA’s ShadowCam.
The Chang'e-7 mission's success could propel humanity into a new era of lunar exploration, opening the doors to a sustainable lunar presence and paving the way for ambitious missions to Mars and beyond.
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