Piggybacking: China to help Pakistan launch satellite in Chang'e 6 Moon mission

China will be launching its new robotic lunar mission, Chang’e6, in the first half of 2024 and it will carry a Pakistani satellite named ICUBE-Q cubesat to the Moon.

A statement released by the Chinese government said after rounds of selection and talks, it has been decided that the Chang’e 6’s lander will carry scientific instruments from France, Italy, and the European Space Agency (ESA).

A Pakistani payload will be mounted on the orbiter, the release said.

The China National Space Administration (CNSA) said the mission will carry payloads and satellites from four countries to increase international cooperation.

As per reports, the Chang’e 8 mission will conclude the Chang’e missions that will be sent there to possibly establish a research station.

What is China’s Chang’e 6 mission?

The primary objective of China’s Chang’e 6 mission is to collect samples from the far side of the Moon. The spacecraft comprises four components: an orbiter, lander, ascender, and re-entry module.

One of the senior planner involved in the Chang’e 6 mission, Hu Hao, said if everything goes as per plan, the spacecraft will land in the South Pole-Aitken Basin. After successful landing, it will collect dust and rock samples.

It is worth mentioning here that India became the first country to soft land near lunar south pole with the launch of Chandrayaan-3.

Hao further claimed that Chang’e 6 mission mission could mark the first instance of samples being collected from the far side of the Moon, allowing scientists to enhance their understanding of this region and analyze the samples’ composition to expand lunar knowledge.

The Chang’e 6 mission will carry a total of 10 kilograms of foreign equipment on its lander and orbiter. This includes scientific instruments from France, Italy, and the European Space Agency, as well as the Pakistani payload on the orbiter.

The French instruments which the mission will carry will test for radioactive gas, while the ESA’s Negative Ion Detector and Italy’s Valle Brett Radar System will be taken to the Moon by this mission.

With inputs from agencies