China to help Pakistan launch miniature satellite in Chang'e 6 lunar mission
China's Chang'e 6 mission which aims to collect samples from the far side of the Moon will also carry a payload from Pakistan.
The Chang'e 6 mission, China's upcoming robotic lunar expedition set for next year, has finalised to also carry ICUBE-Q cubesat satellite from Pakistan, according to an official government statement released on Friday.
After rounds of selection and talks, it decided that the Chang'e 6's lander will carry scientific instruments from France, Italy and the European Space Agency, and a Pakistani payload will be mounted on the orbiter, the news release announced.
What is Chang'e 6 mission?
The primary objective of this mission is to collect samples from the far side of the Moon. The Chang'e 6 spacecraft comprises four components: an orbiter, lander, ascender, and re-entry module.
Hu Hao, a senior planner involved in the Chang'e 6 mission, said that if all goes as planned, the spacecraft will land in the South Pole-Aitken Basin, where it will collect dust and rock samples. This 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.
With the launch of Chandrayaan 3, India become the first country to soft land near lunar south pole. It's Pragyan rover and China's Chang'e 4 mission's rover, which is on the far-side, were actively roving on the lunar surface before Indian space Research Organisation activated sleep mode in the system as it completed the planed 10 Earth days lunar exploration. The Indian space agency is trying to awake rover however they have not been successful to get any signal.
Foreign loads on Chang'e 6 mission
The mission will carry a total of 10 kilograms of foreign equipment on its lander and orbiter. This equipment includes scientific instruments from France, Italy, and the European Space Agency, as well as the Pakistani payload on the orbiter.
To date, the United States, the former Soviet Union, and China have successfully brought lunar samples back to Earth, but none have obtained samples from the Moon's far side.
