China's Chang'e 7 lunar mission, scheduled for launch in 2026, will include a hopping robot designed to explore the moon's south pole and search for water ice in permanently shadowed craters.
Here are some key details about this mission:
- Objective: To find definitive evidence of water ice at the lunar south pole, which could be a valuable resource for future lunar bases and exploration.
- Components: The mission will consist of a lander, a rover, and a small, mobile hopper.
- The Hopper: This "first-of-its-kind lunar explorer" will be able to jump from sunlit areas into shadowed craters, using a molecule analyzer to detect water.
- Significance: Discovering water ice on the moon would be a major breakthrough, potentially providing resources for astronauts and fuel for rockets.
This mission is part of China's broader lunar exploration program, which includes plans for a lunar research station and crewed missions in the 2030s.