China’s New Mission will also Carry Pakistani Satellite to Moon

China is preparing for the launch of the Cheng E6 lunar mission in the first half of 2024. This mission is notable because it includes a Pakistani satellite as part of its payload.

The China National Space Administration (CNSA) recently declared on the social media platform Weibo that the Cheng E6 mission is on schedule to reach the moon.

This mission also promotes international cooperation by delivering payloads from Pakistan, the European Space Agency (ESA), France, and Italy.

French equipment will be utilized to test for radioactive gas onboard Cheng E6's scientific gear.

This lunar adventure will also include the ESA's Negative Ion Detector and Italy's Valle Brett Radar System.

The addition of Pakistan's CubeSat spacecraft, which will be launched into orbit around the moon, is significant.

Cheng E6 is ready to explore the moon's dark side and collect samples from its surface before returning triumphantly to Earth.

This mission will be notable for being the first to collect samples from the moon's dark side, as opposed to prior missions that collected samples from the moon's near surface.

This mission's major purpose is to collect samples from various lunar regions in order to provide critical insights about the moon's age and geological history.