BLUF

The Chang’e-7 mission will explore the Moon’s south polar craters using a novel hopping robot to locate and assess accessible water ice. Aims to advance efforts to use lunar resources for sustained exploration and future lunar settlements.

Learning Outcomes 

  • Explain the objectives and significance of China’s Chang’e-7 mission, including its role in exploring permanently shadowed lunar craters and assessing the accessibility of water ice.
  • Analyse the technological challenges of lunar polar exploration, and the use of innovative systems such as hopping robots and relay satellites.
  • Evaluate the strategic importance of lunar resources for future space exploration, comparing Chinese and U.S. approaches to developing sustainable lunar operations and supporting a long-term human presence on the Moon. 
READ: China is launching a Moon mission to find water ice. It’s unlike anything NASA has done

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