– Beijing’s lunar mission, named after the Chinese moon goddess Chang’e, was unveiled in 2007. Since then, China has put two spacecraft in lunar orbit (Chang’e 1 and 2) and landed two rovers on the moon (Chang’e 3 and 4).
– Chang’e 4 had the distinction of being the first to land on the far side of the moon that can’t be seen from the earth.
– The Chang’e 5 launched last year brought lunar material back to the earth. The last time a mission returned with lunar rock was the Soviet Luna 24 in 1976.
The next moon missions — Chang’e 6,7, and 8 — could contribute to the construction of an International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) in the South Pole of the moon. The ILRS will have a space station orbiting the Moon, a base on the surface that will have several intelligent robots performing a variety of jobs.
