Main source: Global Times, "The United States "can't stop", they joined China's plan" 2023.11.30
Preface
After restricting space cooperation between the UAE and China, Chang'e-7 welcomed more countries to join on China's Space Day on April 24, more than the previous Chang'e-6.
So, which countries has the mainland Chang'e-7 cooperated with this time?
Multinational cooperation
With the development of the mainland in the field of aerospace is getting better and better, since 2016, April 24 has been established as "China Space Day" every year.
The annual "China Space Day" has become an important window for cooperation in the field of aerospace on the mainland, and many international cooperation projects will be announced on China Space Day.
On this China's Space Day, the mainland also announced Chang'e-7 related cooperation projects, although the mainland can complete the Chang'e-7 mission independently.
However, it is still moving towards international cooperation and helping many countries that are temporarily unable to land on the moon to complete scientific research tasks on the moon, which is also the mainland's attitude of openness and cooperation.
According to the data of the Continental Space Center, the Chang'e-7 international payload project has attracted the attention of many countries around the world, whether it is Europe, Africa, Asia, or the Americas, they have submitted applications for cooperation.
After careful selection by the mainland, and also on the basis of the scientific objectives of the payload and the engineering achievability, seven countries and international organizations were selected for cooperation.
The seven projects come from all over the world, including Italy, Switzerland, Russia, Egypt, Thailand, Bahrain, and the International Association of Lunar Observatories.
The payloads of these organizations and countries will follow Chang'e-7 into space, reach the moon, carry out related scientific missions, and bring data back to Earth.
So, what are the loads of these organizations and countries?
The Russian Academy of Space Sciences developed the Lunar Dust and Electric Field Detector, which is mainly used to observe the dust plasma environment in the exosphere of the Moon's near-surface escape.
The laser corner reflector array developed by the Italian National Institute of Nuclear Physics - Frascati National Laboratory is mainly to provide navigation functions for high-precision strategies on the lunar surface and orbit determination of orbiters.
The Egyptian Space Agency and the Bahrain Space Agency developed the Hyperspectral Imager for Lunar Surface Materials, which is mainly used to analyze the surface material and geological structure of the Moon.
The Moon-based Astronomical Observation Telescope developed by the International Association of Lunar Astronomical Observatories carries out moon-based observations of the Milky Way, the Earth, and the panoramic sky.
The Moon-based Dual-Channel Earth Radiation Spectrometer developed by the Physics and Meteorological Observatory (World Radiation Center) in Davos, Switzerland, is mainly used to monitor the earth's climate and radiation changes from the moon.
The National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand has developed a global monitoring and sensing device for space weather, which is mainly used to warn of magnetic disturbances and cosmic radiation caused by solar storms.
Therefore, it can be seen that the lineup of Chang'e-7 cooperation countries and projects is very luxurious, and the scientific research projects taken out by the participating institutions are also very helpful to human research on the universe.
With so much equipment at once, I'm really afraid that Chang'e-7 will be a little unbearable! However, since it can pass the review of the Continental Space Agency, it means that Chang'e-7 is completely fine.
After all, these payloads are carefully selected, and the list selected from the applications submitted by many countries will definitely not affect the launch of Chang'e-7.
So, apart from these missions to work with these countries, what are the tasks of Chang'e-7?
Information sources:
Xinhuanet "Chang'e-7 will carry 6 international payloads, and the International Lunar Research Station will add 3 more members" 2024.04.24
Xinhuanet "Chang'e-7 will carry 6 international payloads, and the International Lunar Research Station will add 3 more members" 2024.04.24
Chang'e No. 7
According to the presentation of China's lunar exploration program, the mission of Chang'e-7 seems to be heavier than that of its predecessors, because the conditions of the site to which Chang'e-7 traveled are very harsh.
Because, the moon and earth that Chang'e-7 went to are places that human beings have never touched, that is, the southernmost part of the moon and the most mysterious area of the moon, that is, the "south pole of the moon".
Because the south pole of the moon is very similar to the south pole of the earth, and the minimum temperature of the moon's south pole can reach minus 180 degrees Celsius during the day, and the temperature can reach minus 280 degrees Celsius at night on the moon.
It is also the coldest place on the Moon, and at night the temperature even exceeds "absolute zero (minus 273.15 degrees)", therefore, the requirements for the equipment are extremely high.
Not only that, but due to the south and north poles of the moon, because there are many impact craters, there is a large difference in the height of the geographical appearance, and there are areas that will never be directly irradiated by the sun, which is also called "the darkest place on the moon".
Therefore, it is conceivable that our Chang'e-7 will go to the deepest part of the moon "alone", carrying many instruments and payloads from various countries to explore the moon together.
Just like a "warrior", he carries the hopes and goals of mankind on his back, helping mankind to solve the secrets of the moon together, so as to help mankind further understand the universe.
Not only that, Wu Weiren, chief designer of China's lunar exploration project on the mainland, also introduced that Chang'e-7 has a more important mission in addition to landing at the South Pole.
This mission is believed to be a task that everyone is very curious about, and it is also the "unsolved mystery" of the moon, so carry out "leap exploration", that is, Chang'e-7 will "find water" at the south pole of the moon!
However, it can't be said to be water, and it is more prepared to look for "ice" at the south pole of the moon, where water is most likely to exist, after all, the temperature here is already between minus 180 degrees Celsius and minus 200 degrees Celsius, so the possibility of finding ice is greater!
However, you will definitely be curious about how Chang'e-7 can find ice, but it is really difficult to find Chang'e-7, after all, Chang'e-7 can "leap detection".
Because Chang'e-7 not only carries an orbiter, a lander, a rover and a relay satellite, but also a "flyer" that has never been seen by other Chang'e probes.
That's right! Chang'e-7 will complete its first flyby exploration of the Moon, and it will leap into the shadow crater of the South Pole to survey and "leap" to all places on the Moon where water and ice may exist.
It's like a robot that "jumps around" on the moon, constantly looking for its own target.
Therefore, the mainland can see from the mission of the mainland's Chang'e-7 that the mainland's strength in lunar exploration.
Therefore, even under the restrictions of the United States, there will still be many countries that choose to cooperate with the mainland, just because of the strong aerospace strength!
So, how does the United States restrict the development of mainland space?
Information sources:
Xinhuanet "Chang'e-7 Mission Confirmed: To Find Water on the Moon!", 2023.2.7
Xinhuanet "Chang'e-7 Mission Confirmed: To Find Water on the Moon!", 2023.2.7
The United States has banned cooperation between the UAE and China
First, because the United States promoted the establishment of the Wolf Clause through unfounded events, the establishment of this clause not only restricts the cooperation between the United States and China's space, but also prohibits any form of joint scientific research activities between China and the United States.
Not only did it restrict NASA from prohibiting cooperation with China, but it also used some "loopholes" to restrict space cooperation between other countries and the mainland.
Among them, the United Arab Emirates was exploited by the United States to "loopholes", resulting in the termination of the long-term lunar exploration program prepared by the United Arab Emirates, which is also a trick of the United States to restrict China's aerospace.
In September 2022, the mainland and the United Arab Emirates agreed on a joint lunar exploration agreement, with an investment of up to 30 billion yuan!
And this plan has no technical problems for the mainland, and the reason why the UAE has found China to jointly explore the moon is precisely because almost all lunar exploration missions have been completed by the mainland in recent years.
Whether it is the mainland's "Yutu" lunar rover in 2013, or Chang'e-4, which landed on the far side of the moon for the first time, or "Chang'e-5", which excavated soil on the back of the moon.
In the past decade, these epoch-making exploration missions have basically been completed by the mainland, and the success rate of the mainland's lunar exploration missions is very high, so it has attracted the United Arab Emirates to seek cooperation.
Because China is the most eligible, and the UAE is also aiming to send their "Rashid 2 lunar rover" to the surface of the moon's south pole through the Chang'e-1 lander launched by China in 2026.
The mainland is too familiar with the south pole of the moon, whether it is Chang'e-6 or Chang'e-7, they are all going to the south pole of the moon to carry out survey missions, so the UAE cannot find a second one.
However, such a beautiful cooperation was restricted by the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), an international arms deal issued by the United States in 1976, so the UAE was banned from cooperating with China because of its use of American parts and technology.
Therefore, it can be seen that the United States still wants to restrict China and hinder China's space development.
Even so, the United States could not restrain China, and the international cooperation of Chang'e-7 says it all!
So, why is the United States blockaded everywhere, but still unable to restrain China?
Information sources:
Global Times "The United States "Can't Stop", They Joined China's Plan" 2023.11.30
Global Times "The United States "Can't Stop", They Joined China's Plan" 2023.11.30
The United States is no longer able to restrain China
Because in the eyes of the world, only China has the ability to complete the lunar exploration mission in the best way, while the United States' plan to return to the moon has been postponed again and again, and there is no end in sight.
Although the United States has issued many regulations to restrict China's aerospace and China's scientific and technological development, the mainland's lunar exploration program has never stopped.
And Chang'e-6, which was launched in May this year, will also collect more soil from the far side of the moon to further increase human exploration of the moon.
Although the United States has been restricting the mainland, the mainland still chooses international cooperation, and when the United States applied to use the mainland's "Queqiao" relay satellite, the mainland also readily agreed.
Therefore, China's open and inclusive space exploration has been steadily carrying out space exploration, while the U.S. government, which restricts other countries everywhere, cannot do anything at present, and its plan to return to the moon has been postponed due to various factors.
Therefore, the more the United States tries its best to stop China, the better China's aerospace development will be, and the more international countries will choose to cooperate with China.
In addition, Wu Weiren, chief designer of China's lunar exploration program, said that after Chang'e-6 completes its acquisition mission and returns to Earth, we will launch Chang'e-7 and Chang'e-8 one after another.
After the launch phase of the Chang'e series is over, a manned landing on the moon will be realized, a lunar scientific research base will be established, and a small probe will be launched to take samples from Mars and return.
Even the project on the Jupiter probe will be realized step by step in accordance with the space program implemented by the mainland, so the United States has long been unable to stop it, at any level!
Information sources:
Global Times, "China's Space Station Sends Invitation to the World", 2023.12.1
Global Times, "China's Space Station Sends Invitation to the World", 2023.12.1
epilogue
The increase in the number of partners with Chang'e-7 this time also proves once again that the mainland's development in the aerospace field has been unanimously recognized by the whole world, and they all hope to cooperate with China.
Although the UAE is temporarily unable to realize the lunar landing plan of the rover, the UAE has chosen to lead the lunar research station project led by China and Russia, which is also part of the continental lunar exploration project.
Key Sources:
Global Times, "The United States "Can't Stop", They Joined China's Plan" 2023.11.30
Xinhuanet, "Chang'e-7 will carry 6 international payloads, and the International Lunar Research Station will add 3 more members" 2024.4.24
Xinhuanet "Chang'e-7 Mission Confirmed: To Find Water on the Moon!", 2023.2.7
Global Times "Global Times: China's Space Station Sends Invitation to the World" 2023.12.1